Are you ready to get on the ski lift?”
“Not really. But you know what? Let’s just fucking do it anyway. We got this.”
This is a conversation my brother and I had when we were both re-learning how to snowboard in Colorado recently.
And let me tell you – I most certainly did NOT feel ready to get on the ski lift after just half a day of practicing (aka falling on my ass approximately 1,234,253 times in a row).
But I realized that, just like anything else…
I was never going to feel ready. There would never be a perfect time.
I just had to go for it BEFORE I felt ready.
The first time we rode the lift together, it went about as poorly as it possibly could have.
My ankle got twisted when we took off, our snowboards got tangled when we exited the lift, and we both fell on our faces in front of the 20 people standing at the lift exit.
While this might sound like a disaster (and sort of was), I was still SO HAPPY that we just fucking went for it.
A nice picture that does NOT accurately depict the clusterfuck that was our first exit from the lift. via instagram.com/jordenmakelle
Because I don’t care about being perfect on the first try.
I don’t care about failing if it’s going to help me learn and get better.
And I sure as shit don’t care about the opinions of onlookers who have probably been snowboarding way longer than me.
I dusted the snow off myself, got right up, went down the hill, and got RIGHT back on the lift to try again.
And again.
And again.
Until it finally felt a LOT easier.
I got the hang of it!
But I never would’ve gotten the hang of it had I been afraid to fail or look dumb.
Friends… the EXACT same thing applies to starting a freelance writing business. You’ll never feel “ready.”
It’s going to be messy sometimes.
You will fail.
You might piss off your family, your clients, and yourself.
And you might fall right on your fucking face, again and again.
But it’s SO WORTH IT.
Because at LEAST you’re taking action and learning.
And that, my friend, is the FIRST STEP toward becoming successful and getting GOOD at something you’ve never done before.
When you look like you’re just chillin’ but actually you just fell on your ass for the millionth time. (via instagram.com/jordenmakelle)
I 100% believe that I would be working in a cubicle right now (making some asshole rich instead of growing my own business) if I were afraid to fail or afraid of the opinions of others.
So, I want to you CHECK YOURSELF. RIGHT NOW.
- Are you letting fear hold you back from starting freelance writing?
- Are you waiting for the perfect time to start freelance writing?
- Are you too scared to start writing publicly because of what people will think?
- Are you putting off setting up a freelance writing portfolio because you don’t feel “ready” yet?
- Are you waiting until you “know enough” or become “good enough” to get started?
If you said yes to any of these questions… know this:
There is no perfect time to start freelance writing. And the fear never goes away.
If you want to be successful at anything – ESPECIALLY running a freelance writing business – you have to be willing to take risks, fail, face your fears, and even look stupid.
And you have to be willing to do things you’ve NEVER done before.
…Otherwise, you’ll ALWAYS be sitting around, waiting for the perfect time, which will never come, and you’ll still be in the EXACT same place 5 years from now.
Don’t wait.
Don’t settle.
You don’t need a degree, experience, or industry connections.
You just need to feel the fear and take bold action anyway.
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This was a SUPER short blog post (in case you’re new around here, I usually write in-depth, step-by-step guides on how to land clients!), but I felt like this lil’ rant NEEDED to be put out into the world.
So, there you have it. 🙂
If you’re looking for more help and in-depth guides to help you get started freelance writing, check out these free resources:
Don’t put off chasing your dream writing career… or you’ll end up in the SAME place you’re at now this time next year.
Use the resources above, and get started.
Right the fuck NOW. 🙂