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May 12, 2008

What Freelancing Taught Me: Part 1 - Confidence

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 9:28 am

Shortly before SOBCon08, Deb Ng invited me to write a post at her blog, Freelance Writing Jobs. I’m was delighted to have the chance. It’s a subject I know and writing something wouldn’t take too much time. As part of that same conversation, I mentioned the trip I’m talking May 9 - 18 to the UK for a speaking gig and vacation with my son. I asked if she would be interested in filling as a guest writer on Successful-Blog.

As you can see, Deb agreed. I’m delighted she did. In fact, we get a three-part series!

What Freelancing Taught Me: Part 1 - Confidence
by Deb Ng

The other day I was thinking about my “real” jobs. It seems like such a long time ago but there was a time when I put on the stockings and practical pumps and commuted an hour into the city. I wasn’t necessarily feeling nostalgic for pantyhose and subway tokens, I was more thinking about how I evolved as a professional since freelancing.

There’s no team in “I”

Regulars to my blogs my have a fun chuckle at this, but in the business world I was quite shy. I didn’t volunteer, I didn’t speak up and if someone took credit for my work, well, that’s the way it goes. Once I started working for myself I realized I didn’t have a room full of people to hide behind. Would I be able to hack it on my own?

Freelancing taught me to be confident. I learned I could be successful without relying on a team, but having friends doesn’t hurt. I learned I could do a job and take credit for it too. I learned people actually liked my work and didn’t mind paying me to do more. I learned to be confident.

Because I was always another person’s assistant, I was surprised to learn I was more than just someone’s right hand. I had my own hand, two of them as a matter of fact, and they worked just fine on their own. I learned people like me and like what I have to say. I learned how to truly be me.

What surprising things have you learned about yourself? Is there anything more rewarding than the confidence you get in being you?

Deb Ng blogs about the best ways to find, and keep, freelance writing jobs. Why not stop by and say hello?

Thanks, Deb!
Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 Be Firm but Not Tough

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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10 Comments to “What Freelancing Taught Me: Part 1 - Confidence”

  1. May 12th, 2008 at 11:13 am
    paige said

    Hi,

    Do you have the link for “Deb Ng blogs about the best ways to find, and keep, freelance writing jobs.” Clicking the link opens a 404 page.

    Thanks

    paige

  2. May 12th, 2008 at 11:38 am
    SpaceAgeSage said

    Deb, what a wonderful story of self discovery. It is always refreshing to read about people who have taken a risk or stepped out of their comfort zone and then blossomed as life embraced their courage.

  3. May 12th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
    Deb said

    Thank you, SpaceAgeSage. I still find myself surprised at the places my writing takes me.

  4. May 12th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
    What to Watch: Successful Blog’s Series on “What Freelancing Taught Me” said

    […] getting three guest posts on successful-blog.com in the process. From the first installment (”Confidence“) I can already see that this series will be of great use to contract workers everywhere. So […]

  5. May 12th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
    sunny said

    This is a great story. In my experience there’s always been that little voice urging me out of the safe zone. I used to not hear it, then I managed to ignore it, but it kept annoying me anyway until I took the leap. It’s much easier to listen for the darn thing.
    ;-)

  6. May 12th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
    Alysia said

    This is a fantastic post. In fact, just the other night my husband told me the one thing that has really come forth in my pursuit of freelance writing work is my confidence. I’ve never really seen myself as a confident person, but when he said that I immediately felt “yes, I am more confident in who I am and what I can offer.” It made me realize that I was definitely doing the right thing for myself and apparently that was showing through.

  7. May 12th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
    Mother Earth said

    I am in complete agreement re: confidence - I knew I could tell stories, I knew I always had something to say, but blogging taught me that many liked the way I write - I am currently building my portfolio - your series intrigues me, thank you

  8. May 12th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
    QuietRebelWriter said

    What a terrific point. I feel the same way about freelancing, and about writing as well. When I was in high school and college I always wanted to make a career out of writing, but became intimidated by the obstacles. With my English and journalism degree in hand, I decided to make a more practical choice and move into the business world of numbers and crappy commutes. It took a few lucky flukes to open up the world of freelancing to me, and by doing it, I realized I could do it. It gave me confidence like I’d never had before. And it makes sense - we are completely responsible for our economic well being, and so it’s natural we should feel (rightly so) a little bit like supermen and women.

    Thanks for sharing your story, Deb, and for reminding us that we can and should be confident of our abilities and accomplishments.

  9. May 12th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
    Mike said

    Could I post this on my blog and give you credit? Best, Mike

  10. May 13th, 2008 at 7:51 am
    05/13/2008 Writing Jobs and Links : Writer’s Resource Center said

    […] What Freelancing Taught Me: Part 1 - Confidence […]

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