Everybody has 1,140 minutes in every day, no matter what their economic status, race, religion, national or political affiliation. What are you doing with yours? Are you enjoying most, if not all, of those moments?
Take a look at how you are dividing up your time. For me, some of its passing is unconscious. What percentage is used up by sleep, work, family, relationships, volunteering, fun, whatever? More importantly, if you are spending 16 hours a day at your business or work, is it by choice or default? What do you most like to do? Are you doing it? If it’s a lack of money or time that’s stopping you, what changes do you need to make to alter your current situation? Savor life because those 1,140 minutes each day, once they’ve slipped by, are gone forever.
Consider working smart instead of, or more likely in addition to, working hard for a time to reach your dreams. The only way they are defeated is if we give up. Never give up on yourself.
Showing posts with label freelance work. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freelance work. Show all posts
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
What Is the Set of Your Mind - Employee or Entrepreneur?
Mindset. I was struck last week by how drastic the difference between how an employee and an entrepreneur think. It affects their actions, comfort level, what they value and their risk profile. Although I love my job for the aspects that have to do with creative relationship and systems building, I have strong entrepreneurial tendencies as a freelancer, real estate investor, network marketer and online marketer for many years. Also, I see having multiple streams of income (one of which is my job) as safer than just having a job.
An employee wants a steady, stable job to pay the bills and feel safe. If the money from one job is not enough, they will probably get a second. If they can, they put any extra money aside for savings, college education for the kids, retirement, vacation or maybe a car (not so essential in NYC where I am). They want to be paid as much as they can negotiate and these days, most people stay at a job two years, then move on, leveraging their income and status up with each move (or at least that’s the idea when it works). They like the structure of going to a workplace each day and interacting with other people in a structured workflow, of having medical benefits and, sometimes, even a 401K. They look forward to retirement when they will have time to spend with family and friends, maybe travelling or pursuing a hobby.
An entrepreneur wants time and financial freedom as quickly as possible and is willing to exert significant time and money resources upfront to accomplish that. They don’t work comfortably for other people and are impatient with corporate politics and ineffective teamwork. These are business owners, real estate investors, freelancers by choice (not circumstances), stock and futures traders, franchisees, online marketers, network marketers and consultants to name a few. They are always looking to add to their skills because it makes them more marketable. Their cashflow tends to be variable and some businesses can take 2-5 years before they show a profit. They have a strong stomach for risk and certainty that, at the end of the failures, they will succeed. They must have strong internal certainty that, if they invest focused attention on building their enterprise, it will pay off. Sometimes, they are ahead of the curve and an idea that could (and often does) succeed later, fails. After all, until the Walkman, nobody knew that portable music was an essential element for a rich quality of life. There’s a book called Blue Ocean Strategy about creating new paradigms for business that make the competition irrelevant. Amazing!
Yes, I know these are generalizations and there is more to it than that. So what does your mindset tell you about who you are inherently – an employee or an entrepreneur? Are you happy and fulfilled with your current mindset? As an employee or entrepreneur, how can you expand your possibilities? When will you start? NOW would be good...
An employee wants a steady, stable job to pay the bills and feel safe. If the money from one job is not enough, they will probably get a second. If they can, they put any extra money aside for savings, college education for the kids, retirement, vacation or maybe a car (not so essential in NYC where I am). They want to be paid as much as they can negotiate and these days, most people stay at a job two years, then move on, leveraging their income and status up with each move (or at least that’s the idea when it works). They like the structure of going to a workplace each day and interacting with other people in a structured workflow, of having medical benefits and, sometimes, even a 401K. They look forward to retirement when they will have time to spend with family and friends, maybe travelling or pursuing a hobby.
An entrepreneur wants time and financial freedom as quickly as possible and is willing to exert significant time and money resources upfront to accomplish that. They don’t work comfortably for other people and are impatient with corporate politics and ineffective teamwork. These are business owners, real estate investors, freelancers by choice (not circumstances), stock and futures traders, franchisees, online marketers, network marketers and consultants to name a few. They are always looking to add to their skills because it makes them more marketable. Their cashflow tends to be variable and some businesses can take 2-5 years before they show a profit. They have a strong stomach for risk and certainty that, at the end of the failures, they will succeed. They must have strong internal certainty that, if they invest focused attention on building their enterprise, it will pay off. Sometimes, they are ahead of the curve and an idea that could (and often does) succeed later, fails. After all, until the Walkman, nobody knew that portable music was an essential element for a rich quality of life. There’s a book called Blue Ocean Strategy about creating new paradigms for business that make the competition irrelevant. Amazing!
Yes, I know these are generalizations and there is more to it than that. So what does your mindset tell you about who you are inherently – an employee or an entrepreneur? Are you happy and fulfilled with your current mindset? As an employee or entrepreneur, how can you expand your possibilities? When will you start? NOW would be good...
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Here I Am, Stuck in the Middle With You
Bills to the left of you, paycheck to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you… OK, so I changed the song a little. Have you ever had a time when you stacked up the bills (lots of them) and the single check that’s meant to cover them and, despite your best efforts, there is just not enough income? Me too. What is the solution? Consider getting another job or two, online or work from home business, real estate, hobby, Craigslist or eBay?
Try another solution instead. You can still go back to those other options later, if you like. Think of and list your talents… do you cook like a chef, knit fast and easily, read or write exceptionally well, twitter, market, do graphic design, shop, do spiritual healing or feng shui? What is your transferable skill set from your work or business? What are your marketable hobbies? What are you passionate about that could be another way to earn income?
Now here’s the game. Add up the bills so you have an exact number then subtract your income to figure out the money gap needed to pay them all (sigh of relief). Then look at your list of marketable skills and talents. Take each one and figure out how, with that single skill or talent, you can make the extra money you need. At the end of the exercise, if you have a list of 10, you will have generated strategies for earning or generating 10 times the amount you need. Why bother, you ask? In a serious and perhaps unnerving moment, this game incites your natural resourcefulness that fear might have shut down. I have negotiated my way out of a lot of tight spots this way. Try it for yourself and let me know how it works for you.
Try another solution instead. You can still go back to those other options later, if you like. Think of and list your talents… do you cook like a chef, knit fast and easily, read or write exceptionally well, twitter, market, do graphic design, shop, do spiritual healing or feng shui? What is your transferable skill set from your work or business? What are your marketable hobbies? What are you passionate about that could be another way to earn income?
Now here’s the game. Add up the bills so you have an exact number then subtract your income to figure out the money gap needed to pay them all (sigh of relief). Then look at your list of marketable skills and talents. Take each one and figure out how, with that single skill or talent, you can make the extra money you need. At the end of the exercise, if you have a list of 10, you will have generated strategies for earning or generating 10 times the amount you need. Why bother, you ask? In a serious and perhaps unnerving moment, this game incites your natural resourcefulness that fear might have shut down. I have negotiated my way out of a lot of tight spots this way. Try it for yourself and let me know how it works for you.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Only Where Love and Need Are One...
“Only where love and need are one and the work is play for mortal stakes. Is the deed ever really done for Heaven and the future’s sakes.” Robert Frost wrote that and I have been thinking lately about what it means practically. My grandfather, whom I love dearly, is 98 years old, sharp as a tack, so I am very aware of mortality these days.
Need drives many of my actions and probably yours too – need to pay the bills, work at a job(s) or business(es), spend time with family and much more. I notice that love gets left out when I am focused on need but, in the world perception, need is a more legitimate reason for most actions. Why is that? How did they become separated? You see, I think what the Robert Frost quote means is that love and need are two sides of a whole and so are work and play. But we don’t live like that is true, do we? I see this quote as a path to wholeness and balance. I invite you to focus on love in your work and play and I suspect need will come along for the ride. Let’s experiment. It might be FUN!
Need drives many of my actions and probably yours too – need to pay the bills, work at a job(s) or business(es), spend time with family and much more. I notice that love gets left out when I am focused on need but, in the world perception, need is a more legitimate reason for most actions. Why is that? How did they become separated? You see, I think what the Robert Frost quote means is that love and need are two sides of a whole and so are work and play. But we don’t live like that is true, do we? I see this quote as a path to wholeness and balance. I invite you to focus on love in your work and play and I suspect need will come along for the ride. Let’s experiment. It might be FUN!
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Unemployment & Freelance Uncertainty
When all your hard-won skills make no difference... It's the economy, the job market, the unemployment figures, the housing market, downsizing/rightsizing/layoffs, the budget, whatever.
I have worked steadily as a freelance proofreader and copy editor for over ten years. I have added to my skills as I saw markets shifting from legal and financial proofreading to publishing to medical copy editing. As an experienced freelancer, I keep my ear to the ground at all times wherever I am working and pay close attention to whether and where the company is gaining or losing clients, or outsourcing staff abroad. For me, that means added hours or cut hours.
For the most part, being a freelancer has suited me well until last year. I was paid well when I was working, worked steadily and had flexibility of time to study, tutor, travel, build a side business, buy investment properties. I liked it. Despite my skills, I have been out of work in the last year for seven months. My first reaction was disbelief that unemployment could happen to me, then panic when I discovered no jobs to be had, despite my best efforts. Even the temp agencies said they had never seen it so slow. Right now, I am in a job, already trying to figure out when it ends and what my next job will be. That's no way to live!
Multiple streams of income... as I work in my job for a bi-monthly paycheck, I am also building a small business (Cool Links: AP Flex Plus - saving money & earning extra income) with an exceptional team and I have investment properties in Syracuse. When the income from my business and real estate investments matches the income from my paycheck, I will quit my job and the income I make will be at least equal to the paycheck with no ceiling on the upside, except my own efforts.
Massive actions equal massive results in a cumulative effect... so I am acting...MASSIVELY. This uncomfortable year has been the perfect and urgent motivator to make change to my own circumstances, no excuses, permanent. ONWARD AND UPWARD!
I have worked steadily as a freelance proofreader and copy editor for over ten years. I have added to my skills as I saw markets shifting from legal and financial proofreading to publishing to medical copy editing. As an experienced freelancer, I keep my ear to the ground at all times wherever I am working and pay close attention to whether and where the company is gaining or losing clients, or outsourcing staff abroad. For me, that means added hours or cut hours.
For the most part, being a freelancer has suited me well until last year. I was paid well when I was working, worked steadily and had flexibility of time to study, tutor, travel, build a side business, buy investment properties. I liked it. Despite my skills, I have been out of work in the last year for seven months. My first reaction was disbelief that unemployment could happen to me, then panic when I discovered no jobs to be had, despite my best efforts. Even the temp agencies said they had never seen it so slow. Right now, I am in a job, already trying to figure out when it ends and what my next job will be. That's no way to live!
Multiple streams of income... as I work in my job for a bi-monthly paycheck, I am also building a small business (Cool Links: AP Flex Plus - saving money & earning extra income) with an exceptional team and I have investment properties in Syracuse. When the income from my business and real estate investments matches the income from my paycheck, I will quit my job and the income I make will be at least equal to the paycheck with no ceiling on the upside, except my own efforts.
Massive actions equal massive results in a cumulative effect... so I am acting...MASSIVELY. This uncomfortable year has been the perfect and urgent motivator to make change to my own circumstances, no excuses, permanent. ONWARD AND UPWARD!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
To Freelance or Not
I've been freelancing for more than 10 years, proofreading and copy editing in advertising, medical advertising, publishing and legal. Being a freelancer has its pros and cons, however. By the way, I've been at the same place now for going on four years so it does not always mean jumping around.
Pros: flexibility to pursue outside interests, exploring the workload and culture of a company before signing on, getting an edge on being hired in a place you like because you are a known quantity already (inside instead of outside), more security when companies are downsizing (freelance is less expensive than staff - no health care, no vacation pay, no sick pay).
Cons: NO Health Care, no guarantee of hours, variable cash flow (7 hours up to 60 hours a week), work at many companies or one, instability and uncertainty, less security unless it's a permatemp position.
So why do I do it? I enjoy meeting new people and engaging in different work projects. I also have many interests outside of work (tutoring, writing, real estate, internet businesses, meditation, travel, etc.) that freelancing's flexibility allows me to pursue. I like the agility of keeping a pulse on the workplace and market, learning new skills constantly to make myself more marketable. When there is little work, the downsides are formidable but I wouldn't trade it for anything because I yearn to make a difference, change the world. For that, I need the free time that freelancing gives me.
Pros: flexibility to pursue outside interests, exploring the workload and culture of a company before signing on, getting an edge on being hired in a place you like because you are a known quantity already (inside instead of outside), more security when companies are downsizing (freelance is less expensive than staff - no health care, no vacation pay, no sick pay).
Cons: NO Health Care, no guarantee of hours, variable cash flow (7 hours up to 60 hours a week), work at many companies or one, instability and uncertainty, less security unless it's a permatemp position.
So why do I do it? I enjoy meeting new people and engaging in different work projects. I also have many interests outside of work (tutoring, writing, real estate, internet businesses, meditation, travel, etc.) that freelancing's flexibility allows me to pursue. I like the agility of keeping a pulse on the workplace and market, learning new skills constantly to make myself more marketable. When there is little work, the downsides are formidable but I wouldn't trade it for anything because I yearn to make a difference, change the world. For that, I need the free time that freelancing gives me.
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