EST. 1871 5 STRATEGIES YOU SHOULD USE TO BECOME MORE CONFIDENT AS A FREELANCER TODAY! BY GINA HORKEY AND ARIEL RULE
What sets successful freelancers apart from the pack? My educated guess would be confidence. And not giving up. But what if you re not naturally confident in your abilities? Or what if you collapse to the pressure and doubt yourself from time-to-time? Don t fret, either way you re just human. In fact, you re as normal as they come. Because fear and freelancing go hand-in-hand for many of us. And that includes us successful ones. So how did we get where we are? Here are five strategies that both I, Gina Horkey and my internet bestie, Ariel Rule have used to become more confident as freelancers. Let s dive in, shall we?
1. Gather a Support Network In the beginning of my freelance writing course, I recommend that students start building their support network ASAP (if they haven t already). Your support network can include friends and family, your peers, strangers that you form a Mastermind group with and more. The point is that freelancing isn t much fun alone. It s tough and way more enjoyable when you re running the business building marathon with friends. So gather your peeps and ask them to cheer you on!
2. Own a Mantra My mantra is, Why not me, why not now? I must have done a good job declaring it, because now people are using it against me. Ha! It basically means, why can t I succeed? And why not at this time in my life? Feel free to latch onto my mantra or go on a hunt to find your own. Simplicity is key - you want it to be something that you remember easily and that can come to mind when you re struggling.
3. Set Goals and Track Your Results Okay, this one is easy for me. I m kinda a goal setting and tracking junkie. And you should be too. But try not to focus on too many goals at any one time. Break down what s most important (i.e. what s going to get you paid, son?) and focus on setting S.M.A.R.T goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-sensitive Then go after them with a passion and hold yourself accountable by checking in with that support network from above on a regular basis.
4. Collect Rejections Oooh, this is my favorite! It s stolen from Stephen King, a pretty prolific author in our time. It s said that Mr. King used to collect the rejections he received (at this point it was physically via snail mail) and literally hang them from a nail above his desk. My advice would be to do the same. Chase rejection like it s your J.O.B - because it is! If you re not getting rejected, then you re probably not growing. Go out there, pitch your little heart out and see how many rejections you can tally up. Odds are that you ll end up with a few yeses too!
5. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone I m a big fan of pushing myself out of my comfort zone. It may seem like I m naturally extroverted, but that s not always the case. For example, I ve recently added video to the means in which I communicate with my audience. That was pushing me WAY out of my comfort zone. Public speaking? Not my favorite. But I ve actually been entertaining the idea lately. (And Ariel just gave her first presentation!) If you re not doing things that scare you daily, odds are you re not really living.
In Conclusion If you want to become more successful as a freelancer, you need to increase your confidence as well. How? Try using our five strategies from above; gather your support network, own a mantra, set and track goals, collect rejections and push yourself out of your comfort zone. Trust me, you ll thank us for it!!
A Bit About Us Gina Horkey Ariel Rule I am a writer, virtual assistant, and business coach. In my non-work life, you will find me snuggled up with my 2 littles one and drinking a glass of vino after a long day in my "office" (which is anywhere in the world). Check out my Blog: Horkey Handbook I am a freelance writer, copywriter, and social media manager. In my nonwork life, I'm a wife, mom of 3 (if you include my dog -- he's my first baby) and a coffee guzzling, beer drinking, geek from Portland. Check out my blog: Freelance Freedom Fighter