Things Freelancing Taught Me

Freelancing isn't just a job, it's a way of life.

Whether you're a writer, designer, or developer, if you're freelancing, you've chosen a path that puts you in charge of your destiny. It's not for the faint of heart—but that's probably why you chose it in the first place.

So what have I learned from my time as a freelance writer? Well, let me tell you.

1). You have to have confidence in what you do.

If you don't believe in your skills and abilities, who will? The bottom line is that if you don't think you can do it, no one else will either, and they definitely won't give you their hard-earned money to let you try!

You need to believe in your skills and have confidence in yourself. When clients ask you to do something, unless it's against your beliefs or it's not in your skillset, don't say "I can't." Just do it.

2). Have proof or results.

Clients want to see that you can get results and put your money where your mouth is.

I always make sure to have the results to back up my claims—because it's not enough to just say that I can do something. Showing is always better than telling, both for me and my clients.

If you're new to your career, chances are other people will be too. They'll want to see what you can do and what value you bring to the company.

If you say you're a good writer, show examples of what you've written before or create one immediately. If you say you're a skilled graphic designer, show people an example of something that you've designed that they can look at and understand what it is and what it might be used for. If they can't see it or read it, they'll never know just how brilliant you are.

3). Be patient with clients.

There are going to be times when they don't understand what you're doing right away, but that doesn't mean they're dumb or that they don't appreciate your work—it just means they need a little more time to process (and sometimes even more time than that).

I've learned patience with clients—that people move at different speeds and everyone needs a little bit of time to decide what's best for them.

Sometimes being a freelancer can mean working with difficult clients. Freelancing has taught me to be patient with these clients and not take them personally.

Sometimes clients get overwhelmed, too! Don't take it personally if they take a long time to respond or send their work in late. It happens to everyone!

If one client doesn't like something about your work, don't worry! There are plenty more fish in the sea! Freelancing has taught me to be patient and not take it personally when people don't like what you've done for them (or don't like what they've paid for).

4). Keep learning, upgrading and improving your skills.

At the end of the day, this is what matters most; without constant development, there would be no freelance work at all because nobody would be able to keep up with the demands placed on them by customers who want better services as quickly as possible!

There's always something new on the horizon—a new technology, a new process—that might help you do your job better and faster. Keep up with these trends by reading articles online, taking up a new course and going to conferences!

There's a lot out there! Just keep plugging away at learning new things; eventually, those skills will pay off when clients start asking for those specific specialities more often.

5). Believe you can get the job.

Always think that you're qualified for the job, even if you don't have experience. Trust me, you'll surprise yourself!

I learned this lesson the hard way. At first, I would apply for jobs and just hope that someone would pick me. But eventually, I realized that if I believed in myself, my clients would too.

Just believe you can get the job. It sounds simple, but if you don't think you can get the job, then no one else will either. You have to be your own biggest cheerleader and believe in yourself as much as anyone else does for you to be successful.