For years I have been helping people who want to get involved in the freelance writing industry. This is something that I take great pride in, and for me it is a lot of fun. This is one of the main reasons that I started my freelance writing course. But before you decide that you want to get involved you need to ask yourself one very important question: is it what you really want? Some people only see the benefits of becoming a freelance writer and never consider the fact that they may run into hard times along the way.
Here are three things to think about if you are ready to make the leap. Over the past few months of my course these are details that I have been discussing with members time and time again:
1. No benefits or steady paycheck. If you come from a job with benefits, such as health insurance and a retirement plan, it can be difficult to transition into the freelance writing industry. Difficult yes, but far from impossible. To go along with this, every aspiring freelancer should note that they will no longer receive a steady paycheck. Instead of receiving a check on the 1st and 15th of every month you will now get paid when you complete work and when your clients decide to send the money.
2. Scary at first. My first few months as a freelance writer were very scary. Am I going to make it? Did I make the wrong decision? Should I begin searching for a 9 -5 job again? These are questions that I dealt with, and probably some of the same that you will ask yourself. One thing I found is that fear can be a good thing. If you are scared of failing you will work harder than ever before to succeed.
3. Doubts from others. Will you be able to deal with others doubting your decision? This can come from family members, friends, past co-workers, etc. Many people let this doubt creep into their mind which in turn shuts them out of a career as a freelance writer. Will you be able to stand strong and prove your doubters wrong?
If you really want to become a freelance writer you will know it. The above three points are not meant to scare you, but instead to educate you on what you may run into early in your career.
No matter your career you need to be motivated to reach your goals, whatever they may be. You don’t have goals? Well, in my opinion, that is downright crazy. In order to stay motivated and to build a successful freelance writing career you need to have goals, both short and long term. Your goals will serve for motivation, which will in turn allow you to be in the best possible position to achieve future success.
What motivates you as a freelance writer? If you don’t know the answer to this question you can probably look within and around your goals. Here are three things that motivate me, and may suit you as well:
1. Success. It is nice to succeed. To me success is helping others and building relationships with new people. Of course, this may mean something different to you; and that is fine. Know what success means to you, and then build this into your goals.
2. Money. Who isn’t motivated by money? Sure, I work hard to help others but at the same time I know that this will also result in more money over the long run. If you are looking for a quick way to motivate yourself set a goal based around your income. For instance, you may want to set a goal stating that you will earn $100k in 2009. There is no denying that this will get you in gear when January 1 rolls around.
3. Keeping your career and the benefits it offers. Success and money are very important, but you should also be motivated to do your best because this will allow you to keep your career as a freelance writer. I never want to go back to a 9 – 5 job, and for this reason I am always motivated to do my best. As long as I work hard and do by best I know that my career as a freelance writer will be long and prosperous.
No matter what, you need to know what motivates you to keep ticking as a freelance writer.
Are you truly excited about your freelance writing career? Do you feel good about the direction you are headed? If you can answer yes to both of these questions you are in a good place. This is a topic I have touched on in the past, but it is one that is important to keep in mind at all times. If you are not excited about your career you are going to find it difficult to have fun and to also earn a decent living. Sounds a lot like working a 9 – 5 job, doesn’t it? Simply put, you don’t want to work a job, no matter what it is, if you are not excited about the future.
Of course, you need to know the difference between never being excited about your career and being in a rut. Even though I love my job there are days when I feel down and out and would rather take some time off. Does this mean that I am no longer excited about being a freelance writer? Definitely not. It simply means that I hit a minor snag that must be overcome.
If you need to “reignite†your career you can do so in a number of different ways. One way is to find new clients that offer different types of projects. If you are always working on web content projects, and they are becoming boring, maybe you can consider sales letters or feature articles. Anything that will break up the monotony of your day can help to add some excitement to your career.
Do you remember how bad it used to be when you worked a regular 9 – 5 job? Think back to those days and you are sure to realize just how exciting and beneficial it is to work as a freelance writer. If this does not get you excited, nothing will.
The more excited you are about your career the better chance you have of achieving success in more ways than one. I have found that the freelance writers who make the most money are those who truly enjoy what they are doing.
If you are in a rut do your best to reignite your career and find some new excitement.Â
