Ever had that “oh god this is so hard, maybe I should pack it all in and apply for a 9-5 job” feeling as a freelancer?
Every freelancer has at some point. Several points actually. Its a topic that comes up often in my FB group.
But why, when you otherwise enjoy being freelance? It’s your flight or fight response kicking in, when facing a challenge.
You have two options:
✈️ Flight, where you leave the freelance life
? Fight, where you push through, do something that scares you a little or up your pitching game.
Don’t feel like a failure if that flight feeling kicks in. You’re not! It’s just the body’s natural reaction to a slightly scary situation (like the end of a contract, a challenging client or business growth). But if you know logically that freelancing IS for you, it’s time to start choosing fight!
Here are five ways to ‘fight’:
- Write down all the reasons you love freelancing. Put that list somewhere you can refer to later. It’s easy to get stuck into the details and overwhelm, but there’s a good chance there are plenty of reasons why the freelance life is for you – whether it’s flexibility, being able to control what you do, work around your family or work from home.
- Work out what about your current situation is triggering this fear reaction. Then write down one thing you can do right now to improve that situation
- Do something a little scary and outside your comfort zone, to show The Fear who’s boss! Get visible on a Facebook Live, email your old clients for testimonials or email a fellow freelancer to meet up for a coffee.
- Get outside. If the weather is good, get outside for a walk. It can make a world of difference to your mood, and being out and walking nearly always gives my brain a chance to put forward a better solution.
- Get coached! Coaching can really help you see the big picture, create a strategy, set manageable goals to get the momentum and confidence going again, and gives you tools to help with overwhelm. A coaching session can get you out of a funk, and get you feeling excited about freelancing again! You can find out more about my coaching for freelancers here, and book in a free 15 minute discover call.