Hi there {{ subscriber.firstName | default('friend') }},
Last week, I took the entire week “off” so we could move and get settled into our new house (that's always a chore, so I hesitate to count moving as true time “off”).
But even though I spent my time slicing open boxes and aimlessly wandering around my home wondering exactly where to put things, it still felt like some much-needed time away from the pressures of client requests and endless emails.
Last Thursday night, as I kicked my sore feet up on the couch and should've indulged in some mindless TV-watching and hard-earned relaxing, I did something dumb: I opened up Twitter and LinkedIn on my phone.
I scrolled through my feed and instantly felt rising panic as I saw numerous grabby posts to the tune of:
“Here's how we replaced all of our writers with AI!”
“The company blog is dead, you losers!”
“Layoffs, layoffs, and more layoffs! It's only going to get worse!”
Okay, not direct quotes. But you get the gist. 😏
Admittedly, those types of posts always inspire some doubt and anxiety for me—but that's especially true when I'm signed off and have some distance from my clients and to-do list. And it's even more true whenever I've made a recent change that has major financial impacts (like having a baby or, you know, buying a new house 😬).
Rationally, I know that my entire industry couldn't have crumbled in the few days I was away (heck, you can still get a real newspaper or a phone book if you want one and those industries have been technically “dead” for years), but that didn't stop my trusty ol' brain from spiraling.
This is it. It's all falling apart. You're going to have to change gears. Or go back to school. You're going to have to put this house up for sale. You should check if Barnes & Noble is hiring.
After nearly nine years of freelancing, I'm no stranger to the emotional ups and downs that accompany doing your own thing. I've ridden this rollercoaster ride long enough to know to just grip the handlebars and get through it.
But I've noticed something: Those moments when I think, “Oh $%!+ it's all coming to an end!” have become more frequent lately.
Of course, I had my stints of panic when I was first trying to get my freelance career off the ground. Or at the start of the pandemic when we all watched businesses and entire industries shutter and collapse. Yet I was super fortunate to not feel too large of impact directly on my own business at that time—something that helped to squelch my fears relatively quickly.
These days, though? Like everybody, I'm plagued with uncertainty—and it's causing a far more pervasive and persistent sense of doubt and trepidation about the future of my career.
Sure, I still have my moments when I think, “Okay, I'm booked for the month. I'm okay. I'm hanging in there. I'm doing this.”
But those moments of calm, confidence, and positivity and are usually punctuated by blows, announcements, and posts that knock the wind out of my sails all over again:
This client is pulling back on content production
AI is getting faster, smarter, and better.
This client announced layoffs and budget cuts.
And the cycle of insecurity starts all over as I work to convince myself that I'm still okay. Repeat forever.
Maybe I need to accept that this is just the way things are now. Sometimes I'll feel self-assured in my business and plenty of other times I'll feel like it's all about to fall apart. Maybe that's normal (change is a constant, right?). Heck, maybe that's what I signed up for. But it's still hard and downright exhausting at times.
I guess I don't have a super helpful takeaway for you (I'm starting to think maybe this entire newsletter was a self-satisfying rant or a digital therapy session). But if I had to pack it all up with a neat little bow, I'd say this:
If you've really been feelin' all of the uncertainty around freelancing (and, you know, the world in general) lately, you aren't the only one. I've heard similar sentiments echoed by dozens of fellow freelancers I'm connected with.
So, while this rollercoaster ride isn't always a fun one, I hope you can take some comfort in the fact that you aren't bumpin' along down those tracks all alone. ❤️
My Favorite Reads and Resources This Week:
Here are a few things I sunk my teeth into these past few days. If you're looking for some advice or commiseration, go ahead and give these a peek!
Noteworthy Freelance Writing Gigs:
Looking for some new freelance writing gigs and opportunities? You're in luck, because I've rounded some up for you.
Non-Writing Freelance Gigs:
I don't just show love to the writers. Here are some non-writing freelance gigs you can check out.
Find More Tips, Tools, and Resources:
Want to know where else you can find me and learn from me? I've got you covered.
That's all for this week!
We still have a lot to do to get fully settled at the new house (the garage is a mess, there's no art on the walls yet…you get it), so we're spending most of the weekend chipping away at all of that.
Have a wonderful weekend and, as always, happy freelancing! ❤️
