Often times we hear about how great it is working for ourselves, how much happier we’ll be, how much more time we’ll have to spend with friends and family or just how awesome it is not having to wake up early and spend all day having to answer to someone else.

While these things are all fine and dandy, we often forget that as humans we must deal with a wide range of emotions, circumstances and obstacles before we are able to live out our dreams. To some the thought of no longer having a “stable” paycheck or benefits can be quite a scary and debilitating thought that is usually followed by a flood of emotions and self doubt.

Freelancing isn’t for everyone, correction freelancing isn’t for the weak minded, those comfortable with the status quo. To be a freelancer one must possess a strong will and passion to succeed as well as the passion to help and encourage others.

Today we’ll be going over a few key areas where both those new to this arena of life as well as seasoned vets often fall into the pitfalls of negative emotions as well as ways in which these negative emotions can be both avoided and corrected.

Financial Stability

We’ve all heard the saying “more money, more problems” but what about “not enough money and a mountain of problems”, the same holds true. Financial concerns can cripple the best ideas, the biggest companies and the brightest of minds. Sadly as freelancers we can’t work for free, but wouldn’t it be nice if we could all work on what makes us happy without the need to worry about money? If only the world worked in this fashion.

The thought of not enough money scares everyone, especially those who may have spouses or families to take care of, the thought of not having a “steady” paycheck can be frightening. Good news is, there are ways available in which we can lower or even eliminate this concern.

• Saving – Many people often overlook this vital part of life, saving. Having a safety net, or cushion as some call it, will help you both in the short term but also long term as well.
• Living within your means – Simply put, be smart about how you spend your money, ask yourself, do you really need that expensive new item, or is it just a want? Simple self checks like this could help save you quite a bit of money.
• Happy with little, happy with much – There is a saying I heard quite some time ago that said, “learn to be happy with little before you can be happy with much”,

Recently a mentor of mine pointed me in the direction of a financial planning course by the all too famous Dave Ramsey. I must say, this has been a truly inspirational and informative source for being more at ease with freelancing. I strongly recommend that everyone takes a look into his “Financial Peace University”.

A great point he makes throughout is, if you don’t tell your money what to do, it will vanish. Take a moment to think on this, where do you spend most of your money? Bills? Eating out? Not paying attention to these little details have ruined many a freelancers career.

Emotional Stability

This vital area is often overlooked in many instances, but being emotionally stable should rank on the same level of financial stability. All too often a freelancer ends up hating and ruining a successful freelancing career because of emotions carried over from their past career or a given situation. Each morning go somewhere quiet, take a deep breath and clear your mind, view what threw you off your game and what you could have done differently, then do differently today. This simple step can work wonders when trying to take a fresh approach to situations you may face daily.

Classic example, a project goes wrong, whether in your freelance career or within your corporate career. Instantly we feel down, like a failure, instantly a block goes up in our mind, limiting our potential for greatness, putting a damper on ability to keep going. Once in place this feeling is hard to shake, and sadly another great person is ruined.

Think back to when you last experienced a situation as the one above, where you put your heart and soul into something, only to see it ruined, think back to how you felt, and the months that followed. Do you see where you could have moved past the situation and gone on to accomplish something great? Think to the present, is there a project you’re having a hard time finishing, simply because it reminds you all too much of a past failed project?

One great book that I’ve come across in this area is entitled “From Lemons to Lemonade” goes into great detail about recognizing situations that put a damper on our self-esteem, as well as ways in which we can better adapt and respond to better keep our Zen.

Read the rest here!