Why Freelance Writers Should Stop Measuring Their Worth in Terms of Money
Or followers, for that matter.
Ever since I can remember, I have dreamt of a career as a freelance writer, but I pushed this dream away. Each time the thought about going freelance popped up, my ego hijacked the mental conversation.
“What if nobody wants to hire you? You’ll not earn any money. How will you survive? What will people think?”
I was afraid that not having enough money would make me a loser in the eyes of my friends and family. And so I did the sensible thing. I took corporate jobs and climbed the career ladder like a normal person.
Then something great happened. My latest corporate job was terrible. It sucked the life energy out of me. Even my ego could not deny the pain I was in, and it allowed me to draw up a good old pros and cons list for staying at my job or going freelance.
The pros for staying in a well paid job were all about financial security, while the pros to go freelance were about things I valued more: freedom, creativity and personal growth. No surprise there. But seeing those words in black and white made the truth undeniable. And so I finally took the leap and it felt amazing. I had chosen happiness over security.