Freelancers Must Stick Together
It’s not easy being a freelancer. First, I work from home, which means I get little or no respect from anyone around me – especially in the older generations. They just don’t get the idea that you can be employed and not have to leave the house.
Second, I am underpaid (for the most part). I don’t get the benefits included in my pay that other jobs get. Insurance, vacation time, sick days, are all coming out of my own wallet.
Third, if I don’t work then I don’t get paid. Sure, most jobs are that way.  But how many people do you know that sit around in their offices chit chatting with other employees (or even playing solitaire on the computer). It just doesn’t work that way for freelancers.
Instead of whining about all the bad things that come with freelancing, I’m focused on the positive. There are no time clocks, no dress code, and no commute (unless you count the walk from the bedroom to the computer). The job is my choice. The subjects are up to me. If something comes along that I don’t like or don’t want then I can pass it on to someone else or just say no.
Over the last several months, I have built up some great relationships with other freelancers – mostly online. When the going gets tough, they offer encouragement and support (sometimes without even realizing it). This evening, I ventured over to Performancing.com and found a great article about freelancing by a new friend – Raj Dash. The tips that were there led me to more sites and more tips – the cycle seems endless some nights, which is invigorating more than anything else. It makes me want to write something.
(By the way, if you are a freelancer and you haven’t been by performancing.com, you are definitely missing out. The articles are great – and so are the people I’ve encountered).
From Raj’s article, I found freelanceswitch.com. There are several articles here about making things easier that can apply to the freelance life as well as life in general. The article about simplifying is one that I will put in to place as soon as I wake up tomorrow. It’s sites like this one that help me to do what I know I want to do despite the reactions and attitudes around me.
Freelancing is not easy, but it is exciting and fun. The more I surround myself with people and blogs and websites full of freelancing knowledge, the better it gets. They keep me focused on the fact that I can make a success out of my freelance choice.
