Bringing “YOU” to Your Freelance Work

Hey everyone. So again, it’s been a little while since I last posted. Sorry about that.

But — aside from being crazy busy — I’ve been doing some soul searching. I have been trying to figure out what I want this blog to be about, what I want it to offer all of you. And honestly, articles and posts about how to get freelance jobs, deal with clients, and make more money at freelancing are a dome a dozen.

Of course, I’ve written posts like that, from my own perspective and experience, and that’s always valuable. But I want to give you more than that. I want this blog to inspire, to lift you all up in a unique way.

So here it goes, with this awesome topic…

How do you bring “YOU” to your freelance work?

We hear all about bringing yourself to your job. This is generally based on jobs where you work for someone else. But what about your freelance career? How do you bring yourself to the work you do everyday from your home office (or wherever it is you choose to work)?

Let’s be honest here. Most of us got into freelancing because we wanted to be our own boss. We wanted to control our career and our income. We wanted out of the 9-5 grind. And for many, we chose this path to earn the big $$.

But we have all learned that freelancing isn’t a cakewalk. It’s not easy finding quality clients. And dealing with the inconsistency of getting a paycheck? That can seriously keep a person up at night.

We get so lost in the day-to-day of just getting the work done, communicating with clients, and bringing in enough work to make ends meet each month that, well, the next thing we know, we’re just going through the motions.

We’re surviving.

Because freelancing can become a daily grind just as easily as a job working for someone else can. Have you reached the point yet where you have realized this, the point where you have questioned whether there is more than this?

I have.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t give up the freedom freelancing gives me for a steady 9-5 paycheck. Not now and I don’t expect I ever will.

But after 13 years, I feel like there must be more. More than writing articles and reports. More than writing someone else’s blog posts. More than researching sustainable shipping, weight loss, and managing finances. All of those niches are noble and worthy and they put money in my bank account. Great.

But there must be more than that. Right?

Full disclosure, I’m 45 and right in the midst of what I like to call my “midlife opportunity.” I have no doubt that is part of this whole “finding myself in my work” thing.

And I’ve been searching a LOT, particularly over the past couple of years. The result?

This blog for one. My journey into screenwriting is another. But I have also FINALLY begun to figure out what really matters to me. You know, that thing that at the end of your life you’ll look back on and feel you did something meaningful?

More and more I want to help women from all walks of life have a better life. That is so important to me. Now, I am at a point where I’m figuring out how to best do that.

And I’ve learned this…

You can’t find “YOU” in your work until you figure out who “YOU” are.

In my 40s, I feel I am finally beginning to get a glimpse of who I am and who I can be, and I have to say I like what I see.

But I also know I have a long way to go.

I recently started listening to Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations podcast. This morning I listened to Marie Forleo’s Everything is “Figureoutable” and it hit the spot. Everything IS figureoutable.

As I figure out who I am, I am figuring out what I want to do in my work. I still write the articles and reports. I still write other people’s blog posts. I still research things like sustainable shipping, weight loss, and managing finances.

But at the same time, I am searching for work that means more to me. And I am drawing that work to me. Law of Attraction. I know it’s beginning to sound cliche, but I believe it works. I have been putting out there the vibe of work with meaning, work that helps lift women up and supports them.

And through one of my regular report-writing gigs, I met someone creating a membership website to do just that. I now find myself in the pivotal role of helping to define this site and what it will become. And it’s FUN! When the time comes, I’ll share the site URL with you.

It’s all about finding the meaning in our freelance work. To do that, you have to figure out what is meaningful to you. Then you have to put yourself out there. You have to ask the universe or your higher power for guidance. You have to take some risks.

I am not a “put yourself out there” kind of person. I want to be and I’m working on it, but for me even putting myself out there via this blog is big. It’s a great place to start. And since writing is my vehicle, I can put myself out there in my screenwriting. Plus, I’m writing a book on finding balance in life — something that is excruciatingly difficult for me — called Tightrope.

And all the while, I am looking for writing gigs that mean something to me, that are about more than paying the bills. They’re out there. I promise. But first, you have to know what’s meaningful for you.

The best way to figure that out? In the SILENCE and through the experience of others.

At least, that’s what works best for me. When I sit in the silence, when I let my mind rest from the busyness of work and life and just allow myself to be, that’s where the answers are.

The answers are in the silence.

Listening to motivational podcasts and reading motivational books help steer me in the right direction and are invaluable. But in the end, the answers come in the silence. One of the many reasons I value my morning tea and quiet start to my day.

I invite you to try it. To slow down at least once a day, and perhaps on a day off for an entire morning or afternoon, and just be in the silence. Let your mind wander. Let the inspiration sink in. And don’t be afraid to ask the silence, the universe, or your higher power for a little guidance.

You will end up going in the right direction. You will begin to find “YOU.”

If you have been looking for “YOU” in your freelance work or if you can relate to this post in any way, please take the time to share in the comments section below. This is how we help each other, by participating in the conversation.

Now it’s your turn…

Karen