How I Re-invented Myself
How I Re-invented Myself
When I decided that I WAS going to become a Freelance Article Writer, I had to make a commitment to nobody but myself...after all not only will I be the owner of the business, I would also be an employee of the month...every month.
Becoming a Freelancer requires a tad bit more than just declaring yourself as one...although that too is one of the steps. It takes a total lifestyle change as the first commitment.
First of all, you need a 55-gallon drum of courage,(cue the lion from The Wizard of Oz) and you find all the information on Freelancing that you think you can hold.
Mix the two together, shake gently and serve with an olive...no wait, that's a martini. But you absolutely have to take the courage, a lot of heart, and a bit of brain (The Great and Powerful Oz) and that is what your diet consists of...from now on.
Not everybody has the opportunity that I did. Most of the blogs that I read on becoming a Freelancer explained about transitioning from a 9-5 paying job to the unknown, unreliable, unpredictable, world that a Freelance Writer lives in. They all spoke about how you need a shit ton of cash to fall back on, and oh yeah, those reoccurring monthly bills still gotta be paid. How do you do this and keep your sanity?
I don't have a clue.
I could make this transition easily...I had no overhead, I was semi-retired, and everything I own is paid for. Not to brag or anything, but I had the ideal opportunity to take this thing and make it work...quickly and efficiently.
After two years of strategic planning...here's how I started making my changes...literally.
I already had a degree in Journalism...but it was from 1989...yeah I'm old. Most of the Freelance jobs posted on job boards, (more on job boards later) required a certain skillset. I made a list of all of those attributes and overlayed them with my resume'. This where I started getting technical...
I needed to brush up on a few things to really make my resume' POP! And the areas that I was not well versed in I committed myself to take online classes to solidify my abilities.
I created the perfect Freelancer...on paper...then I took the steps necessary to become "that guy". Then I logged onto every Freelancer job board that I could find, and I pitched the shit out of that resume'.
The result...ACTUAL MONEY IN MY PAYPAL ACCOUNT...no social media (yet) no portfolio of work, no blog, (this one hadn't been born yet) just good old fashioned salesmanship...and for what it's worth that is THE KEY to becoming a Freelancer.
Seeling the one thing that you are an expert on...SELLING YOURSELF...and the better you are at this the faster it comes to life. Nobody knows you, better that you.
See what the jobs require and make yourself the candidate that can not be refused...and do it over and over and over...perfecting the process with every job application.
Further elaboration in my next few posts...I gotta feed a cat
When I decided that I WAS going to become a Freelance Article Writer, I had to make a commitment to nobody but myself...after all not only will I be the owner of the business, I would also be an employee of the month...every month.
Becoming a Freelancer requires a tad bit more than just declaring yourself as one...although that too is one of the steps. It takes a total lifestyle change as the first commitment.
First of all, you need a 55-gallon drum of courage,(cue the lion from The Wizard of Oz) and you find all the information on Freelancing that you think you can hold.
Mix the two together, shake gently and serve with an olive...no wait, that's a martini. But you absolutely have to take the courage, a lot of heart, and a bit of brain (The Great and Powerful Oz) and that is what your diet consists of...from now on.
Not everybody has the opportunity that I did. Most of the blogs that I read on becoming a Freelancer explained about transitioning from a 9-5 paying job to the unknown, unreliable, unpredictable, world that a Freelance Writer lives in. They all spoke about how you need a shit ton of cash to fall back on, and oh yeah, those reoccurring monthly bills still gotta be paid. How do you do this and keep your sanity?
I don't have a clue.
I could make this transition easily...I had no overhead, I was semi-retired, and everything I own is paid for. Not to brag or anything, but I had the ideal opportunity to take this thing and make it work...quickly and efficiently.
After two years of strategic planning...here's how I started making my changes...literally.
I already had a degree in Journalism...but it was from 1989...yeah I'm old. Most of the Freelance jobs posted on job boards, (more on job boards later) required a certain skillset. I made a list of all of those attributes and overlayed them with my resume'. This where I started getting technical...
I needed to brush up on a few things to really make my resume' POP! And the areas that I was not well versed in I committed myself to take online classes to solidify my abilities.
I created the perfect Freelancer...on paper...then I took the steps necessary to become "that guy". Then I logged onto every Freelancer job board that I could find, and I pitched the shit out of that resume'.
The result...ACTUAL MONEY IN MY PAYPAL ACCOUNT...no social media (yet) no portfolio of work, no blog, (this one hadn't been born yet) just good old fashioned salesmanship...and for what it's worth that is THE KEY to becoming a Freelancer.
Seeling the one thing that you are an expert on...SELLING YOURSELF...and the better you are at this the faster it comes to life. Nobody knows you, better that you.
See what the jobs require and make yourself the candidate that can not be refused...and do it over and over and over...perfecting the process with every job application.
Further elaboration in my next few posts...I gotta feed a cat
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