I am a Freelancer
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There, I said it. And even as I sit here typing the words, I’m thinking to myself, “Self, you’re a liar. How can you call yourself a freelancer when you have no clients?” Okay so my inner monologue is not nearly as supportive as one would hope…
But I have decided to follow the advice of a very wise man who I once heard speak about creating a vision for your life. He suggested making an “I am” statement instead of an “I want to be” statement. His logic is that rather than just setting goals, which take will power to achieve and rarely last, making an “I am” statement creates a vision for your future. He believes that once you create a vision for your life, you live that vision. Your daily rituals change, and you slowly become the person you say you are in your “I am” statement.
I love this idea. It seems so simple, but I honestly hadn’t ever thought of my future this way. I always set goals for myself, of course, but never realized that when I didn’t meet said goals it was because the will power wasn’t there and I simply hadn’t done enough to change my actions to create the future I had hoped for.
So I’ve already begun changing my daily rituals to reflect my vision and I can’t wait to continue! For now, this is my full-time gig, and can I just say that it is hands-down the most liberating feeling in the world? Of course I’m still looking for my next fabulous job here in Kansas City, but I am 100% committed to my vision statement even if it ends up just being an evening/weekend thing!
So rather than sitting here listening to the naysayer in my head tell me that I’m not yet a freelancer, I’m going to go ahead and say it:
I, Ashley Nicole Campbell, am a New Media Consultant and Freelance Copywriter!
That wasn’t so hard…
Ashley, congrats on taking the first step. I love when people can finally embrace who they want to be by just saying that they are. I find myself saying this to artists a lot. They’ll tell me “oh, I’m not an artist yet, I just fool around and create stuff” or “I’m not an artist yet because I don’t make any money from my art”. I keep telling them, “You ARE an artist. Start embracing that idea and you’ll see how the puzzle pieces just start to fall into place”.
Good luck!
Thanks Carlee! I think this new “I am” statement is really important to getting where I want to be…I hope others embrace it as well. It’s pretty powerful!
Very nice. It’s like I told Melissa when she interviewed me for Jargon Writer a fee weeks ago; the biggest obstacle for me to becoming a freelancer writer was giving myself permission to call myself one. To self-identify without requiring some official test to be passed before I did so.
I don’t know if you believe in the Law of Attraction or not, but it basically states we receive more of what we believe/are. So to believe there is this big “yet to come” tends to reflect back an endless loop of never quite being there.
Almost from the moment I began to self identify as a freelance writer some new opportunities to write presented themselves. People starting seeking my opinions on the writing world, and asking me to proof read their stuff. (Which I do for free if I love the person.) And when the business cards arrived, it really felt official.
I’m excited to hear that it has worked for you in your freelance career, Ty! Success stories are always encouraging!
Hey Ashley – Congratz! If you want to do some other reading check out this post on Media Bistro’s blog We the Bistro. It’s a guest post I did – but I highly recommend all the the books!!
http://mediabistro.posterous.com/a-place-to-start
That’s an awesome list! Thanks for sharing! I can’t wait to learn more.
The free in freelancer is a gift of independence and often a gift of pro bono work to someone who needs it in exchange for a testimonial and experience. No one said that to be a client means that you have to pay for service. It just means that you have engaged one.
This is such an exciting step for you, Ashley, and I love your “I AM” statement. It is not only empowering for you but inspiring for others. Blazing your own trails, saying “yes” to opportunity, trusting your own talents, and believing in yourself are powerful steps. This adventure will bring you many rewards, including the career that is in you!
Good for you! Positive and forward thinking can greatly impact your perceived abilities so this is a great step! I did the same thing in designing my freelance business website (www.mindfulmediamanagement.com). I went from “I want to a, b, c.” to “I do a, b, c.” and in doing so, I got 2 clients right off the bat. So good luck and with confidence and capabilities comes clients.
Nothing like a little alliteration.
)
Ashley,
Good for you. Believe me everyone who is independent has made this same leap.
Best of luck!
Jessica
@blogging4jobs