Life lessons that made me a better freelancer

I’ve always loved the idea of freelancing. Sitting in rainy coffee shops in New York, writing my next novel or planning how I’ll run the city. Basically, I wanted to be every geeky girl in a YA fiction romance novel.

To a level, I’ve accomplished the freelance lifestyle I’ve always wanted, I manage some amazing clients and have a slow drip of one of gigs that I’m able to do alongside a full-time job. But it’s not glamorous in anyway shape, or form. I work long hours and crave moments of quiet. But I don’t regret a single thing I’m doing.

Growing up, I’ve always had a hard work ethic instilled in me, and I feel it’s hitting it’s peak in my 20’s. One of the most prominent ones I’ve heard recently is “You’re 20’s carve the path for your 30's” which makes sense on all levels.

Unlike affirmations, daily journaling, and goal setting. Words of wisdom, or parables, stick to me like glue. They’re a HUGE driver in my career goals and aspirations.

So I thought I’d share a few of them, here are 5 life lessons that made me a better freelancer

Every failure is a lesson learnt for later

The amount of mistakes I’ve made in my first year as a freelancer is absolutely unreal. From poor invoicing schedule to refusal to plan stuff out, I feel like I’ve been through most of them at this point. I may lose money, time, or energy in the process, but its all part of the learning curve. I have never come away from a cock up without a life lesson for the future.

Comparison is irrelevant

Why bother comparing yourself to others? Everyone is one there own journey in life, very few of them will even come close to your own. Focus on you, focus on your own goals and what you alone can accomplish, and you’ll be fine.

Take care of yourself now

Plant the tomato seeds so you can have ketchup later. Or whatever phrase you can think of that works in this situation. We may think we’re indestructible in our 20’s but we’re absolutely not. Realistic work schedules, healthy eating, and the full 8 hours aren’t a waste of time, they mean you don’t burn out.

There’s countless other stories we can tell ourselves to progress as freelancers. But as we grow, we find more life lessons to help us be better.