// The TRUTH About Freelancing //

"….freelancing is like floating in the middle of the ocean. There are boats all around but instead of swimming to safety, you decide to keep floating into the unknown…"

Let’s talk about freelancing. Imagine you’re floating in a body of water. No raft, no life jacket. Just floating along and swimming further from the shore towards the unknown. There are boats all around and you could swim to them at anytime, be pulled from the water and taken somewhere safe. But, instead of swimming towards one of those ‘familiar’ boats, you decide to float along and do your own thing. Maybe you’ll float somewhere awesome. Maybe you’ll stay right where you are. No matter what happens, you make a conscious decision to float along on your own terms. You can choose to swim to a nearby boat at anytime. You know exactly where they’ll take you. Everyday, you have to make a decision. Everyday you have to choose.

We'll call the water your ‘passion pool.’ You’ve made the brave choice to jump feet first into your passion and swim along with the desire to create the life you want doing what you love. Those nearby boats are jobs. Things that you’re good at and things that you’ve already done. Those boats will float you right back to your lifestyle of comfort and consistent income. Depending on the day, those boats look really attractive. Say you’re waiting on a check for a job you did months ago or you’re beating the pavement for new work and not having any luck. All of a sudden the very  ‘boats’ you swam away from start to look like your only hope.

I am certain that every, single freelance professional and entrepreneur has floated along in their very own ‘passion pool.’ My passion pool is the beauty industry, yours may be writing or graphic design. Oftentimes, we’re unsure of where the tide will take us but unwilling to hop aboard a boat that will take us back to the life we left behind.  

I’ve experienced incredible highs during my career. Accomplished things that I was once too afraid to verbalize. I’ve also had some incredibly low moments when I was dead broke and not sure if I could keep myself afloat. And here is what I know for sure, you will make it. Those scary days are just that…scary days. Being able to hold on and keep floating is the name of the game. It ain't easy but if it wasn’t worth it, there would be no one else in the water.

Don’t jump into your passion pool looking for a quick come up. You’ll drown or go running back to the boat at the first sign of trouble. Anticipate that things will take time and that you may be floating along for quite a while. Know that everyday you’ll have to make a choice and encourage yourself to choose what’s best for you. And whether you float on to success or swim back to shore, the best thing you can do is give yourself a chance by testing the waters. 

*Pictures courtesy of Ask.com and WriteAWriting.com *