When I First Began Freelancing

When I first began freelancing I was scared everyday.

Scared of struggling to pay my bills, scared of running out of work, scared of judgment from others.

And, by the way, all of that did happen.

➡️ There were times money got tight. In fact, during the early days I cleaned houses on evenings and weekends to make ends meet. My daughter, who was 5 at the time, would tag along and excitedly sweep dirt from the corners. I worried that as a single mom I would always have to work 15 hour days and miss the time with her as she grew.

But eventually my finances stabilized, my work became more flexible, and I was able to enjoy moments of freedom with my girl.

➡️ There were times my pipeline was empty. Months where I didn't know what to do. I remember wiping the tears from my face before hopping onto sales call after sales call. They all said no.

But eventually someone said yes, which led to an increase in my confidence, followed by another yes, and so forth.

➡️ There was and is judgment from others. Trolls on the internet, family and friends who don't understand and, worst of all, internal messaging that I'm still trying to overwrite.

But eventually I came to accept this judgment as simply a part of life. And that's ok, because what other people think of me is none of my business anyway. The only thing I can control is myself, so that's what I'll continue to work on.

We all know by now this isn't easy. Building doesn't come without hard work and struggle. But out of that comes resilience, wisdom, and a host of other priceless gifts.

If you're letting fear hold you back, then I'm here to tell you that's completely normal. But I encourage you to consider what you are giving up by not moving forward through the fear.

I bet there's something pretty amazing on the other side. 💫