You may wonder what it takes to succeed as a freelancer. I did too, and perhaps, like you, I had no reason — whatsoever — to think I had it in me to do it.
With no prior experience or college education, all I had was desire. A deep, burning passion for expressing myself through writing. It was strong enough to overtake just about everything else, including any self-doubt I had.
Now before I go on, let me just mention that I know a thing or two about doubt.
Doubt kills #dreams, destroys visions and gets in the way of everything good.Click To TweetBut most of us live with doubt, so we continue to do the same thing, over and over again as we live our lives by default.
We stay in the crappy jobs we hate because we don’t see a way out. We shove our talents and abilities under the rug because we don’t think we have what it takes to create something worthwhile.
None of that insight will go do any good if we continue to live with doubt.
It’s one thing to consume beneficial information, but being able to receive that info and put it to good use is another. That’s why the doubt has to be dealt with before it pops up again and again.
So now that I’ve pointed all of this out, what’s the solution?
How do you let go of the chains that bind you and allow yourself to explore your dreams of becoming a freelancer?
I have a few ideas that I’m about to share with you. The good news is, you can start implementing them right away.
The bad news is — it’ll require a constant guarding of your thoughts and beliefs about yourself. You’ll also need to be consistent.
Once you’ve done this though, you’ll experience a level of freedom unlike anything you’ve ever known.
I’m talking about freedom of mind. That’s where everything starts.
This post isn’t meant to be skimmed over. It’s designed to expand your perspective and change your life. Read it slowly and carefully.
So grab a cup of coffee, a green juice or some lemon/ cucumber water — sit back and absorb what I have to say.
HOW TO SUCCEED AS A FREELANCER
The 3 Qualities Every Successful Freelancer Embodies…
…and without these three things, you will never succeed as a freelancer!
Ready to begin?
1 – Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is the main ingredient when it comes to just about everything we do.
The reason is that unless we’re aware of the thoughts and beliefs we hold about ourselves, life and others — we’ll never be in the position to question them and change them from an authentic place.
A place that’s free from the emotional turbulence that so often dictates our decision-making abilities.
This may come as a surprise, but a lot of us aren’t acutely aware of our self-doubts. Instead, they become chronic conditions of our internal environment. They linger in the background. They make themselves known in the recordings of our minds, circling our inner world via auto-play.
But most of the time, we aren’t paying close attention to this.
What we truly think and believe about ourselves and life, in general, show up when we make a decision to escape our comfort zone.
Presenting themselves as obstacles, we find ourselves facing our perceived shortcomings and inabilities. Rather than staring them square in the face, we back down and allow doubt to take over.
The belief that we don’t have enough #experience, #support or #talent weakens us.Click To TweetAs painful as it is, we stick with what’s comfortable, even if it makes us miserable.
The solution is to be brave enough to observe ourselves in the process of thinking. It helps to think of ourselves as a spectator watching a film or listening to a conversation.
Get yourself into a neutral state of being and pay attention to the dialogue taking place in your mind as soon as a challenge presents itself.
Question it. Dissect it. And then go and look for examples of those who have succeeded with what you’re looking to accomplish.
These days, information is everywhere. If you want to see what’s possible, all you have to do is seek out others who have shared their stories of success. You’ll find that most, if not all of them have had their fair share of hurdles — many of which may be similar to yours.
The more you do this, the less doubt you’ll have.
Self-awareness is the act of examining what takes up residence within you. You can apply new behaviors at any time, but first, it helps to clear out the clutter taking up so much room in your mind.
Be willing to witness yourself.
Without judgment, own yourself. This is how you begin to free your mind.
2 – Healthy Living
Healthy living isn’t about having six-pack abs and a bikini body… although it can certainly lead to that.
It’s about well-being.
When we take care of ourselves, we just feel better. The act of self-care is a form of respect. It’s a way to demonstrate love, compassion and joy toward yourself. This transfers to the outside world. Believe it or not, it plays a huge role when it comes to being a successful freelancer.
Confidence shines through when challenges come knocking at your door — which they will. This makes you become more responsible. You’ll become a better contractor because you’ll do everything with care.
You can’t give away what you don’t have, so if you want to feel good about your work and how you present yourself to your prospective clients, it must start with how you take care of yourself.
When you eat high quality, nutrient dense foods, you think clearly. When your digestion is tied up with junk, it’s tough to concentrate and move with agility — even when that movement is from the mental plane — where everything originates.
Exercise gets your blood flowing. You distribute oxygen to your cells, muscles and everything else in your body that keeps you alive and functioning at peak capacity.
Not to mention, as I had written in my post about the damage of sitting for too long, exercise is a way to prevent the aches and pains that accompany some of the effects of doing specific types of freelance work, like spending time at the computer for hours at a time.
Healthy living will work to your advantage in every way imaginable.
And speaking of the imagination…
3 – Creativity
Let’s face it. Logic is awesome.
But logic without creativity is boring – and limiting.
In order to make it as a freelancer, it takes having a mind open to everything and attached to nothing.
I didn’t make that up. Wayne Dyer did. But I was creative enough to add it in here smoothly. That’s how my brain works…
I AM my imagination.
Creativity isn’t limited to snatching something out of thin air like magic — or a dehumidifier — although it could work that way and often does. Being creative can also include being inspired by someone else and adding your own unique spin to something, expanding on its message and impacting those who stand to benefit from what you have to express.
Creativity in freelancing is about staying open to possibilities.
Once that pesky self-doubt is removed and you treat your body with some dignity and respect, you’ll be surprised to see just how creative you can be – even when it comes to obstacles.
I see obstacles and roadblocks as opportunities to examine a bigger picture. #selfawareness #succeedasafreelancerClick To TweetWhen life screws with me, I don’t run away. I seek answers.
Sometimes those answers show up in the form of additional questions. But the better the questions – the more of them that show up, the more expansive the answers become.
You gain a broader picture of what you’re seeing. The creative nature within us isn’t limited to the arts. It involves critical thinking and using discernment.
When you take a step back from what you’re experiencing and observe, you see things from multiple angles. This expands your perspective and encourages you to take risks and chances you would have never considered before because your world isn’t so limited and fixed.
The spark of life
You’re here, so it’s safe to say you matter.
Your existence means you are meant to do something worthwhile — whatever that is.
I can assure you, though, that it isn’t so you can slave away doing something you hate — especially if you have other options.
And you do have options.
So know that you have what it takes to succeed as a freelancer, even if means redefining your idea of success.
For some people, success is about making a great living. For others, it’s coming in close contact with what makes their heart sing and allowing this to flow out of them freely and on their terms.
Defining success on your terms is an act of creativity in and of itself.
- What you think, you believe.
- What you believe, you enact.
- What you enact, you create.
So create wisely.
If you wish to succeed as a freelancer, develop these three traits. Become self-aware, take care of your health and be creative.
This is how you free your mind and live your truth!
** Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links of products or services that I use and recommend. If you choose to try a product through any of these links, I’ll get a small commission at no cost to you. **
Bhawna Kaushik says
Hey Dana,
An exceptional post you have written here. I think being creative is one of the most important things. People often push themselves and if the results aren’t to their liking.
Keep up the good work
Regards
Bhawna
Dana says
Hey Bhawna,
I appreciate the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the post.
I think creativity is crucial. Even if one’s job or task isn’t creative in and of itself, creativity can be applied for problem-solving and even relationships.
Personally, I feel it’s a life skill.
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Vineet Saxena says
Hey Dana,
I liked the way you have written this piece. In my opinion, logic and creativity complement each other and usually go hand in hand. One will fail without the other. Freelancers usually have to be creative yet still be in the bounds of logic to excel at any job thrown at them. And again, doing a job logically but without any creativity will come out as dull.
Thanks for sharing this impressive piece.
Regards
Vineet Saxena
Dana says
Hey Vineet,
Great comment.
You nailed it. Balance. Creativity without logic can be sort of flighty. Logic without creativity can be rigid. At least that’s what I’ve discovered.
But when both work together in harmony – magical things can happen.
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Maria says
This is such a good read! I’m actually trying to have some side Income aside from instagram, in the blog form but I’m so stalling and no idea where to begin!
Dana says
Hey Maria,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
I think it’s great that you at least got started – that’s awesome. Maybe look into micro-niches in your overall subject matter. There are a ton of videos about that. It’s something I wish I’d learned more about when I first started blogging.
Best of luck. I hope to hear how things turn out 🙂
Cori Ramo says
Oh my God Dana! You really nailed it girlfriend. Most blog posts about succeeding as a freelancer talk about having the best service or product, not that there’s anything wrong with that. But you’re coming from a whole different outlook – things that are often overlooked because we’re so focused on making money.
My favorite line is “As painful as it is, we stick with what’s comfortable, even if it makes us miserable.” I can sooo relate to that!
Thanks for sharing these great tips. Passing this one along for sure!
Cori
Dana says
Hey Cori!
I appreciate that.
I know the money is important, but overall well-being means everything.
I’m sure you can relate to that sentence. I know what you went through.
Thanks so much for sharing this. I hope it brings some perspective to others.
Happy you stopped by C. Have a great weekend 🙂