We all of us suffer from self-doubt from time to time. We have good days and not so good days. Days when we think we can conquer the universe, and days when we feel we’re not even worthy to get paid for the work we do.
Welcome to the life of a freelancer!
Hopefully you have more up days than down days.
For when you do have the occasional down day, here is something I do to snap myself out of it.
I think back to some work I did that was really good. Maybe it performed incredibly well. Maybe I was just particularly proud of what I created. Either way…it is proof that I can create good work.
Sometimes I’ll just think back to that moment, or when that project was completed. Other times, I’ll look at a sample, or an image on the portfolio page of my site.
The trick here is to remind yourself of what you did, and reaffirm your ability to do good work.
Another way to do it is simply to think back and remember times at work when you really enjoyed what you were doing. That memory could be related to a project you worked on, or a great team of people you worked with.
The idea here is to get your mind thinking about a very positive moment in your work life.
Why? Because the brain works with a rather peculiar cocktail of chemicals. And you can often get out of a funk simply by adding a splash of good memories. If your memory makes you smile – and by that I mean physically smile – that’s even better. The act of smiling also adjusts that chemical cocktail.
It may seem odd that you can change your frame of mind in this way, but you really can.
So even if you are feeling on top of the world right now, you may want to think about those positive moments from the past – make a mental list of them — so you have all the ingredients you need at hand, ready to help you handle one of those bad days.
NOTE: If you want some help with this, check out my coaching service for freelancers.
About the author: Nick Usborne is an online writer, copywriter, author and coach. Read more…