The first times

Not talking about the first times in relationships or in life such as the first time your baby said "mama". When you're a freelancer, you get to have a lot of first times, especially when you have just began exploring the magical world of how to sell your talents. Sometimes you do tend to overlook these first times. Like the first time I created a company profile on LinkedIn for a client or the first time I sold a cover letter. Today was one such first time. It felt great to be appreciated for the job. It felt greater that the client actually thought I was good at it. And you know what, it actually boils down to all the dedication and passion that you put in the task. It's not just about knowing how to do it, it's about trying hard to get it to look the way you want it to be.

So the message is quite clear: when you're a freelancer, you gotta experiment. Your skills do not just limit to knowing how to do a few things, diversify in order for you to know your specialty. It might sound ambiguous, but it really is the most surefire way of paving your way.

It's about rewarding the small achievements

You know that feeling you get at the end of the month when you find out that you will be able to pay your bills, that you have enough for next month's bills and that you can even treat yourself to something good this month. Well, for me the treat is not yet here. But I've got to assure you that the elation of having earned something on my own is very much here.

So what do you do in these cases? How do you reward your mini achievements?

My own very treat today was simple:
1. I finished my work early
2. I went out shopping but bought only a few frugal stuff
3. I gave myself two whole hours of workout with heavy panting and sweating
4. I watched TV and played candy crush at the same time
5. I kept in touch with news regarding an ex Prime Minister who's been bad
6. I actually talked to important people like my sister

Right now I'm just looking forward to talking to the boyfriend. Talking about him and us and not just work. These simple pleasures of life are what I miss the most.

Of course, I will not be in the same mood as I am right now next week. This week has been tough, full of projects and deadlines. I even did a one-nighter on Monday. Did not sleep at all. By the way, the dosage for not sleeping is 5 cups of coffee, you're welcome.

My point is, I've learnt that as a freelancer there will be days when you are physically "here" but not present at all. People around you will be talking. There will be amazing current events, you will have to think about Valentine's Day but all that you will think about will be that darn deadline.

Luckily you will be able to catch up with certain things, but there are some human interactions with your close ones that you will undeniably be missing.

February is the month of challenges

You would think that being a freelancer and working on building your reputation and client base would be hard enough. To make things tougher, I have wedding expenses to cater to. I gotta buy his ring, his suit and gifts. I want to do it on my own. He is the man of my dreams and has never given up on an opportunity to make me happy. It's my turn to make him feel like a little pampered princess, figuratively speaking. 

So February is the month of challenges. I gotta make enough money to buy those things. I'll have to put up with challenges and accept projects that take me out of my comfort zone. It's easy to just give up, it's harder to embrace the difficulty and to learn from it. 

I'm talking here about projects that I receive on a daily basis. Some of them are downright weird. Some not do-able in my opinion. Things become tougher when I evaluate the price of my leisure time against the price of the project.

If a $5 gig would make me lose my sanity, calm and peace, I'd rather be lying down watching the Great British Bake Off rather than working on that project. This brings us to the topic of how to remain happy as a freelancer and I think that deserves a post on its own.

But I'm diverting too much here. So this month would be all about dedication, active engagement in new projects, challenges and HARD WORK.