Being self-employed sounds like freedom, and it is, but the freedom is earned. My own name is on the invoice, which means the early start is on me and so is everything after it.
A normal day starts before most people's alarms. Load the van, get on site, graft. It's physical work and it keeps me honest in a way the gym alone never could.
The upside is control. My hours, my standards, my call. If I want to finish a job right rather than fast, that's my decision to make and mine to answer for.
It's not glamorous and I wouldn't swap it. The trade built the discipline, and the discipline built the rest.