Are you a frustrated and angry freelance writer?
Do you recognize yourself in these signs?
As a freelance writer, it is very easy to get discouraged. Discouragement can lead to anger and frustration, which can paralyze your career, without you even realizing it. Here are the signs to look for and the specific things you can do to get back on track.
1. Negative energy expenditure: Most freelancers surf the web looking for assignments. As you read one job ad after another that pays little or nothing, you get overwhelmed.
“Don’t you realize that I am a professional, I have a family to feed, my skills are worth more than that?” Then what do you do?
You start leaving nasty comments and before you know it, you’ve spent two hours doing this. After logging out in disgust, he decides to take time off because he’s so angry that he can’t even focus.
Look what this has cost you? Precious marketing time; not to mention focus.
Solution: Accept that there will always be jobs that don’t pay enough. After all, this is freelance writing. And while we should all earn a decent wage, there should also be world peace, enough food to feed the hungry, and free medicine for those who cannot afford it.
Not to take the situation lightly, but focusing on what you can’t change won’t help. By NOT accepting low-paying assignments, you are sending a very powerful message. So keep going: If a job doesn’t pay what you want, spend your time looking for the ones that do – don’t send nasty messages to job posters offering low-paying assignments.
After all, the reason they’re probably looking for help is that they are where you want to be – a busy, working freelancer.
2. Departure: As in, you haven’t been doing anything lately. Are you depressed from lack of work? not motivated because bored with work; and / or frustrated by the type of work you are doing?
Whatever your reasoning, as a freelance writer, you should always produce, unless you’re on vacation.
Many freelancers make the mistake of not working when there is no client project on their desk. Just because you’re not working for a client doesn’t mean you don’t put in 8, 9, or 10 hours a day.
Solution: This is one of the reasons I like article marketing: it forces me to write constantly, to stay motivated and fresh. I can write about a new diet drug one day, or a new type of mortgage the next day, because as a freelance writer, my job is to write.
To this end, I keep my portfolio full of various samples; I am always working on a new e-book or planning a new e-course.
Getting up and “going to work” every day is what I do, be it a client project or a “Yuwanda project”, I produce what I must and produce what I do.
3. Organization: As in, your work is hampered by your lack of organization, not only by the thoughts and tools you need to work with, but also by organization for the future of your business. Are you wondering, “Where will this freelance business take me? Will I ever earn enough to survive on this alone?”
Solution: If you find yourself thinking along these lines, then maybe it’s time you made a real plan for your future beyond just launching the next client project.
Like any business, if you want freelance writing to be your full-time job then you need to plan for it, for example creating a full business plan. Target a niche, create an advertising budget, and come up with a marketing plan.
In conclusion, frustration is the omnipresent enemy of all who have a wish, but encounter obstacles. Accepting obstacles and creating a plan to thwart them is the key; don’t expend negative energy against them.