In our culture we are under a lot of pressure to be the best. When we sit exams, go to job interviews, have job reviews, come up for promotion…and so on.
We also live in a culture that is obsessed with competition, and seeing who comes out on top.
Who is going to win the Superbowl? Who is the best golfer in the world? Who is the best supermodel? Who has the best garden on your street? Whose kid did best in the school play?
In other words, we are under pressure to be winners. If we are not winners, well, we are losers. And in North American culture, nothing is worse than being a loser.
As a freelancer, you need to distance yourself from this cultural narrative.
If you stress about not being the best, or not being a winner, then you’ll undermine your self-confidence.