I've been a self-employed man over almost 30 years, and do not intend to change it at all, Tony.
This allows me to take care of my mother (76 y.o.), to choose what I accept or not to do. I have refused jobs related to firearms, (here in Brasil you need a bunch of permissions do to it), and other things that itself are not illegal, but go against my personal ethics.
I always remember what a professor/friend of mine told me at 2004: "EMPLOYMENT will disappear, only the WORK will remain..."
Besides, being an independent worker, you habe absolutely no limits to learn new and interesting things to do ! This is my favourite aspect of the self-employment.