Freelancing is appealing because it presents a change of scene. It offers a fresh start especially if your career has been a disappointment.  Freelancing is also a chance to take on a new talent or pursue a different opportunity. I have a friend who left a nice paying job in a technology company to become a freelance photographer. It didn’t happen overtime for him and he had to go through a lot of preparation – time, money, and self-assessment.

My friend chose to reinvent himself, prepared for it, and succeeded. Some reinvent themselves because of layoffs or unplanned family situations.  Ideally, you don’t want to be forced to make changes in your life. It’s no fun thinking about freelancing after a layoff. If you want a new job (because your current company sucks), you better start finding a new one before you can’t take it any more. As they say, the best time to find a new job is when you don’t need one.

If you don’t want to be in a situation where you are pushed against the wall, you should take a regular review of your current situation and find out the imbalances in your life, upside/downside of your current job, and more importantly, the gulf between who you are right now and who you want to be.

Review yourself. On a piece of paper, list your disappointments and things that stress you on the left side, and things that make you happy or will make you happy on the right. From this alone, you can clearly see what things need to be addressed to swing your life towards the happy side.

Question your fears.  Everyone is afraid of something. If you think you can’t afford to start over with your career, that’s normal. However, fear and truth are not the same. List the things that are preventing you from pursuing your dream and start questioning them whether they really matter. Sometimes, you are looking at the problem from a wrong point of view. If you quit your job and become a freelancer, you are not necessarily starting from scratch because you still have the personal network you have built over the years with you.  You may have to start at the bottom with regards to accounting, but you can jumpstart your marketing through your network.

Don’t kill your dream. If you want to travel around the world but you don’t have the resources to do it, would you stop dreaming about it? Just because it is impossible today, doesn’t mean it won’t happen tomorrow. Dreams not only liberate; they also puts us in touch with who we are and who we want to be. If you stopped dreaming today, you will never get around the perceived limitations of money and security.  The only way your dream can ever come true is you hold onto it with unwavering belief.

Fill the gaps. If you feel you lack a particular skill or the knowledge in subject you’re interested in, ask yourself how you can fill it. It can be as simple as spending a day in the library, a lunch with a former colleague, or regular chat with a mentor to guide you. There are millions of successful people  who are more than willing to help you.

Do it. What’s the point of thinking and planning if you are not going to do it? Every change you do in your life will feel unusual at the start but that’s OK. Just keep doing it and eventually it will feel natural. Being shy,  whenever I attend gatherings where I don’t know anyone I always tell myself to say “Hello” and smile. It’s weird at first because I’m consciously trying it yet. Eventually, I got over it.

There will always be moments of doubt and that’s normal. Just remember that if you fail, the worst thing that would happen is you end up to where you are right now. So what are you waiting for?

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Photo courtesy of omsel.

Related posts:

1. 3 things not to do when making changes to your life This is a follow-up to my previous post, How to reinvent yourself. Don’t rush it. Energy and enthusiasm are important if you want to make radical changes to your life....
2. 5 things to do before you quit your day job Focused on what you want to achieve. You’ve heard this a million times while you are still working for the “The Man” but it’s worth hearing it again especially that...
3. Is Freelancing Right For You? My friend Fitz, who runs a very popular blog on business and personal finance, invited me to share my thoughts on freelancing. I’ve known Fitz since college and we did...

Focused on what you want to achieve. You’ve heard this a million times while you are still working for the “The Man” but it’s worth hearing it again especially that freelancing requires more work than your traditional day job. Whether it is to make more money, gain experience, or enlarge your personal network, be clear on what you’ll gain when you become a freelancer.

Have a good a business proposition. Freelancing is no different from running a business. You need tell your prospects what you can do  and convince them you’re the right man for the job. If you can’t do these things, your freelancing dream is dead.

Think about the risks.  Freelancers are optimists. After all, who in their right mind would leave the comfort of a day job for an uncertain life. As a freelancer, be aware of the things that might go wrong (e.g. delayed payments) and and how you can get out of this situation (e.g. provide discounts for early payments). If you have a mortgage, you might start negotiating for a lower rate early on rather than wait for the time when you don’t have enough money for the monthly payment.

Establish a support structure.  Your family is often the first casualty of committing to your dream. Stories of missed family anniversaries and school plays  are not unusual for people who wants to be successful. If you’re single, your health and social life takes the first beating. Make sure you communicate your goals and your family understands the risks involve before you go into freelancing. Freelancing requires that you become comfortable working alone but it doesn’t mean you need to live alone.

Freelancing is not the ultimate solution. Many people have found success while working in a corporate environment. Sometimes they found it by moving to another industry or changing careers that are aligned with their values and goals in life.  If you’re dream is to become your own boss but  you are not comfortable with the risks, don’t go into freelancing, yet. Take some freelance work while keeping your day job. The great thing about freelancing on the side is you’ll gain experience and you’ll find out whether freelancing is for you without burning a lot of money and sanity.

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Photo courtesy of gomviandres

Related posts:

1. Is Freelancing Right For You? My friend Fitz, who runs a very popular blog on business and personal finance, invited me to share my thoughts on freelancing. I’ve known Fitz since college and we did...
2. How to reinvent yourself Freelancing is appealing because it presents a change of scene. It offers a fresh start especially if your career has been a disappointment.  Freelancing is also a chance to take...
3. What’s the best part of owning your business? Defining success. You set the goals, and you sit on both sides of the table at the performance review. – Elizabeth Grace Saunders, Read Life E Making the sale. No...

My post is for people who are contemplating on moving from a regular employee to a freelancer. Whether you want to try freelancing as an escape from the corporate world or you aspire to become a freelancer since a kid, it is important to assess yourself whether the life of freelancing fits you.

Head over to Fitz’s blog and read my post “Is Freelancing Right for You?“.

Related posts:

1. 5 things to do before you quit your day job Focused on what you want to achieve. You’ve heard this a million times while you are still working for the “The Man” but it’s worth hearing it again especially that...
2. How to reinvent yourself Freelancing is appealing because it presents a change of scene. It offers a fresh start especially if your career has been a disappointment.  Freelancing is also a chance to take...
3. What’s the best part of owning your business? Defining success. You set the goals, and you sit on both sides of the table at the performance review. – Elizabeth Grace Saunders, Read Life E Making the sale. No...