I often tell the story of a freelancer I know who, before making any kind of cold call – from his freelance work area at home – dresses up in a suit, makes sure his shoes are polished, and strides confidently around the room for a few minutes until he feels ready to make the call.
By making himself look and feel powerful, he finds he had far greatest success with his calls. His prospect can’t see he is wearing a suit, and standing while making the call, but he can.
I also advise my coaching clients, when starting out on their freelance careers, to imagine how successful they could be three years from now. I ask them to imagine their workspace, think of how much money they are making, think about the kinds of clients they have and the projects they are working on, and envision what their websites will look like. And I then tell them to start behaving like that right now, three years in advance of achieving that goal.
In other words, behave as if you are already as successful as you plan to become.
A common response I hear goes like this. “Oh, you mean you want me to fake it until I make it?”
Well, it turns out there is some solid science behind the belief that this really works.
In the video below, social psychologist Amy Cuddy talks about how just changing our body language, our posture – like my friend who puts on that suit – can actually change hormone levels within our bodies and make us feel more powerful and more confident.
In addition, she makes the point that it’s not just about faking it until you make it…you can actually fake it until you become it. Her words.
If you behave like the hugely successful freelancer you plan to become, through posture and behavior, you can positively influence your chances of becoming that person…that best possible and most successful version of yourself.
Related Resources:
My ebook – Affirmations for Freelancers
My coaching service for freelancers…
About the author: Nick Usborne is an online writer, copywriter, author and coach. Read more…
Really fascinating presentation by Ms. Cuddy. Whatever one may think about the phony aspect of “looking the part”, it seems to be so ingrained in our brains, that it is a pity one wouldn’t just take advantage of it.
Note on public speaking (from experience!). Always, always, have some water nearby.