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3 Things I Wish People Knew About Life as a Freelancer
By Sandy
It occurred to me this past weekend…
Outside of my clients and business groups, I don’t know one person who does what I do, or anything similar, in “real life.” They all have a traditional 9-5.
That makes me a bit of an outcast.
Based on the comments I get, I realize that most people have no idea what I do, how I manage to live, or why on earth I’d chose to do it.
And if your work exists solely in the digital world like mine, you might have the same experience.
So, I wanted to write this post as a way to say, “yes, I hear you, you’re not alone,” and “hey everyone who works a regular 9-5… there is a whole other world out there and it’s pretty amazing.” 🙂
So, here it is… 3 things I wish people knew about life as a digital worker.
When I tell my friends what I do, they often ask if I’d like a recommendation for a job at wherever they work.
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That’s cool, I get it. It’s very nice.
What they don’t understand is that this lifestyle is a choice and not one that I just “stumbled upon.”
It actually takes a lot more effort to work from home and design a life that is your own rather than opt for the default plan.
So, no… I don’t want an interview or a job lead. Thanks 😉
The act of creating income, a life, stability, and selling yourself is a lot of work and you have to be really confident in your work to be able to send it out to get judged on a daily basis.
Consider this, a copywriter (like me) who is active on social media daily has thousands of opportunities for rejection… daily.
Each time someone asks for a sample of my work, reads my blog, checks out my prices, or jumps on a consultation call with me, there’s another opportunity for failure.
Personally, I love it. It keeps me sharp and acts as a visceral check for my work. If I’d be afraid to show it to a new prospective client, it’s probably not good enough. Redo.
But I know that others hate that feeling and cringe at the thought of having to put themselves out there daily.
To all you creative freelancers out there… I admire your ability to keep pushing through, especially in the beginning!
By skipping the office job, I’ve managed to avoid a whole lot of daily stressors. There’s no commute, no traffic jams, no office politics… it’s great.
But, going out on your own means saying yes to a host of other stressors that just aren’t there for most of my friends.
Stressors like, “will this client pay on time? Will more work come in? Is everything about to crash down all around me?”
These are legit concerns for many digital workers, and although I’ve managed to move past most of them in the past few years, they still pop up from time to time.
And finally…
I have no intention of ever going back to working for a single employer. I love what I do, I get to choose my own projects, my own clients, my own co-workers, and what I do with my day.
I can choose where I do it, when I do it, and who I do it with…
And that’s so powerful.
Nothing, no situation, and no person are ever perfect. But you can absolutely build any life you can imagine. Years ago, I didn’t even know this life was an option. I couldn’t dream of it because I didn’t know it existed. But it is a reality for a good portion of the population (especially millennials).
Now, I’m glad I discovered it. And if freeing yourself from a traditional job is something you’ve ever dreamed about, I encourage you to take a look.
I’ve put together a free training to help new (or hopeful) freelancers learn how to get clients quickly (even if you don’t have a website, a large following, or uber-successful connections in your niche).
Check it out. When you’re done, let me know what you think.
