One day you are on a high note with pouring projects that you couldn’t keep up replying, let alone rejecting. On another day, you are faced with nobody wants your service, your existing clients think the work you have submitted is crap, you just had an argument with one of your biggest clients because of misalignment of expectations.
Or maybe you are starting out as a freelancer. With your savings dwindling day by day, you are anxious to get your first gig but nobody is hiring. Wait… is it nobody is hiring at all or just no one is hiring you?
Welcome to the world of freelancing – where you are the boss of yourself and your clients are the paymasters of you. In other words, if you need the money, they own you. Something that you shouldn’t allow it to happen but it’s a post for another time.
It can be lonely and frustrating in the freelancing world. I know, I have been there. There isn’t much support for freelancers or not that I know of. I’ve come up with some tips that will help you battle the negativity in freelancing and hopefully these will help you tide through this tough period.
Look Forward
Instead of dwelling in the moment, look forward to your next milestone or your next goal. You can only achieve success if you look far and forward and stop pondering the mistakes you made or wallowing in the current blues.
Focus On The Goodness
You have good clients and you have some rotten ones. Don’t think about the bad review you just had, think about all the good ones that you receive. There’s a reason why you are still in business, aren’t you?
Reach Out
Being a freelancer is lonely. You work alone. You face your troubles alone. Your working-class friends don’t understand the struggles you go through because they either think you are stupid/brave/crazy/lucky to give up your day job and work as a freelancer full time. Reach out to similar freelancers to share and you might even share clientele if both of you have different skill sets.
Upgrade Yourself
If you are right in the quiet period where there’s no business for you, use the time to rejuvenate and upgrade yourself. Having multiple skill set makes you sellable, unique and attractive to clients. Clients will rather manage one freelancer that does everything for him than to manage 10 freelancers. Of course, you’ll have to make sure your fees cover the multiple roles you are taking.
Evaluate Yourself Constantly
Periodically, ask yourself if this is something you want. Are you happy working as a freelancer? Some people are happier working in a structured environment and some prefer to work in a team. It’s okay to have preferences one over another. Being aware of your working style makes it easier for you to find similar projects that suits you.
Get Out
It’s easy to coop yourself at home, completing task after task, project after project. Freelancing is not about that. It’s about the freedom to do whatever you wish however and whenever you want to. Meaning that as long as you have an internet connection and your laptop, you are good to work. Libraries, cafes, universities – there are many awesome venues that you can work in. For more awesome venues, you can refer to my previous post.
Break out from your gloom, think positive and work towards achieving success for your freelancing future. It ain’t a challenge if it ain’t hard.
Are you a freelancer? Do you have any personal tips to share with us how to drive those gloom away? Please share the love in the comments below.
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MiddleMe 
There are so many unknowns in freelancing…
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That’s true but some of the unknowns turn out to be nice ones.
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Yes of course.
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I have a private practice and I agree…
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Aww how sweet you are “after all, sharing is caring” so nice of you… 🙂
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You’re most welcome! Watch out for more useful tips.
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Yes sure dear kally.. 🙂
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Great post😊👍🌻
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Thank you and welcome to MiddleMe!
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Keep up the good work dear Kally!
I have a gift for you; https://dreampack.org/2018/03/02/token-humanity-march-2018/
XxX
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You are so Super awesome! Thank you, Patty for the sweet gift.
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My pleasure 🙂
XxX
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Reblogging this to my sister site Success Inspirers World
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Thank you for sharing this out! You’re awesome
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😘
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Thank you for sharing this post! You’re awesome!
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So many points in this post are spot on. As a free lancer, I often joke that the local coffee shop is my office. I grab a cup of tea and an omelette there, and sit writing in my notebook for hours. It’s the kind of place where no one cares if you sit for long periods of time. I just love it.
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Ooooo… I wish I have a cafe spot just like yours. My current sanctuary is my toilet where my little one year old can’t crawl and hunt me down, will take her an hour to find me! Lol!
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Yes! The toilet is an awesome hideout!
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Thanks for another lesson of the HEART my friend.
It seem’s to lit’l Ol’ ME. that freelancing can be greatly benefited from the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love.
Faith: You gotta have faith in your own abilities; in the talents you KNOW God has given to YOU
Hope: is hopelessly tied to faith. Really the two are inseparable. Your faith in yourself, permits you to overcome the doubts and bumps of life in the Freelance-Business world
Love: Loves role is taken for granted {you LOVE what your doing; Right?…RIGHT! But there is another aspect of love that is essential to Freelancing and that is allowing GOD -in. Love of God is the elixir of uncertainty; the cure for “what ails you,” and the friend who Always HAS your back. Though at times His Will for you may not fully align with you’re will for you.
May God always guide your path,
Patrick
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Thank you, Patrick for such a wonderful comment. Godspeed.
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I don’t know why your comment was in my Spam folder but I managed to fish it out. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us.
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WordPress has became in another nasty commercial mess…
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Yes, I do agree. Sometimes I do get frustrated with WordPress as well. Typically when they are slow to load my website.
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Hugs my friend
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Big hugs back
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Hi Kally! it’s been awhile… Hope you are fine. With my current situation as a stay at home mom, people always telling me to do freelance or work from home though it’s easier to say than done… I really don’t know where to start and whom to trust as some says they will pay but at the end of the work they don’t. Heard from other people’s experienced.
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
WITH A BIG PUPPY TO HOLD OUR ATTENTION! GREAT INFORMATION!
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Thank you for sharing this, Jonathan!
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I go through this fighting negativity often enough and suspect others do—hence your wisdom in posting—THANK YOU!
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You’re not alone. Sometimes I do throw my hands in the air and wonder why I put myself through the torture of evil clients but then, I’ll always remember the good and beautiful clients who always supportive of my trade.
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I am glad you are there—for both sets of clients. Without your unique talents they both might flounder. My Mom was a substitute for many years —mostly High school. she was strict and battled with the kids testing her. Well, many years later one guy shouted his recognition of her in the downtown area, ran across 4 lanes of traffic to greet “Mrs. Caswell” to say how much he appreciated her classes and her insisting on him doing his schoolwork! Doubtless that may happen to you someday! ❤
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Awww… that is such a heartwarming story your mom has! And I know how it feels because I was a childcare teacher many years back, teaching the 4 and 5 years old. Guess what? I bumped into them a couple of years back and they are all going into universities now. I never felt so old to be honest. Hahahaha!! But a big thank you for telling me your mum’s story, it truly perk my day!
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I’m glad….and that I get to tell my family stories somewhere, No kids of our own and didn’t adopt any—and my niece and nephews aren’t on a speaking basis. 😦 Only kind and generous bloggers are willing to listen! 🙂 If it relates!
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Ahhh.. you can always share your stories with me. My ears are always open for you. I’ll pass down your stories to my little diva and hopefully she’ll one day pass down to her kids and your stories will be…. legendary.
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Legendary? Wow! But comforting! 🙂
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Love this. In future, I’m actually hoping to freelance. It’s good to see this side of it 🙂
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Thank you! Before you start freelancing, I have more freelancing tips to share with you. Look under the tab freelancer and you’ll find related articles.
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Thank you!
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Reblogged this on Alessandria today.
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Thank you so much
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