Overcoming challenges

Limiting beliefs and multiple commitments can keep you stuck in a loop, meaning you’ll continue to put off the decision to begin your dream freelancing career.

Us humans have a tendency to go with the status quo, and it can be very hard to motivate ourselves under such seemingly impossible circumstances. But you also have a commitment to yourself to do the best that you can to be happy and create a career for yourself that’s flexible and enjoyable. And if you’re signed up for my newsletter or following me on social media it’s obviously something you’ve been thinking about…

We humans also sometimes aren’t really the best at asking for help, particularly when we’ve been stuck in survival mode for a long time. It’s important to stop and take time to think if you need support and how you can get it. Like anything worthwhile having in life, you need to be prepared to work for it, and this might mean making some adjustments to your life in terms of how you deal with your existing everyday or regular tasks.

“It’s not about having time, it’s about making time.”

Are your kids old enough and about to leave for uni or full-time work? It could be the right time to think about making the change and preparing to start your freelance career.

Can you get access to more in terms of childcare to look after your kids so you can create time for yourself?  If you’re alone or overburdened because your spouse or partner works long hours and can’t help you, check out your local resources and don’t be afraid to ask for advice. You need time to yourself, too.

Are you caring for disabled or elderly relatives or friends or neighbours but you feel burnt out? It could be the right time to find out about alternative caring solutions, seeing if there is anything out there available to you, so you can carve out some time for yourself to start something of your own.

Are your inflexible working hours stopping you from having any free time? Could you ask for them to be adjusted, perhaps even just for a trial period or a set period of time to allow you to trial other things, (such as your freelancing career)?

Is looking after your pets getting too much? Taking care of pets probably takes a lot more time out of the day than you realise and can be a distraction from getting on with tasks, meaning they never end up being completed. Think about doggy day-care, getting a cat flap or automatic feeder installed, or a professional dog walker who can come and assist you. There are also pet fostering services available if your pets are becoming too much to look after and you need a longer break but don’t want to fully rehome them.

Is your home neglected and untidy? It can happen to the best of us when we’ve been dealing with other commitments for so long. Having a tidy house can really help take the stress off you and gives you somewhere to relax, work more effectively, and achieve a new lease on life! Think about contacting a home organisation and/or deep cleaning service to help you tackle the cobwebs and clutter.

I’m not encouraging you to neglect or drop your existing responsibilities like a hot potato and run off into the street screaming ‘I’m free!’ But I often see people struggling to make time for themselves, and they want to get started doing something new but just can’t lift their head above water because of x, y, z distractions or commitments. Often the pressure gets so much we just dissociate and don’t have the mental capacity to take stock of everything because it seems so exhausting!

But it’s important to push through and be proactive when you feel like this, and perhaps speak to someone you can trust to get some support to do so, like a life coach or counsellor, so that they can help you to sort everything out and possibly even make a plan to get the help you might desperately need.

The power of writing stuff down

If you’ve been thinking about how to make changes in your life and busy schedule for a long time, it can help to write everything down – to do lists, pros and cons lists, time blocking, plans, goals, diarising stuff. I love writing stuff down and it’s the only way I know how to help keep me on track. If I didn’t have lists, Trello, a paper diary or a weekly planner I’m not sure what I’d do!

But even if these kinds of tools don’t appeal to you, or it’s just not the way your brain works, there are PLENTY of other ways to help you identify your pain points, inspiration, deal-breakers, dreams and goals. How do you manage your time? What helps you do this most effectively? Really take time to think – you’ll probably be surprised at the tactics you use and don’t even realise it. Could you harness some of these tactics to help you in other areas of your life too?

Writing things down can really help you to identify, clarify, and address further:

• Any limiting beliefs, such as: I’ll fail; I’m worried about money; Will I have enough time? (You could even try an REBT/CBT style exercise, addressing some of the psychological barriers stopping you from progressing, e.g. ‘I worry what people will think of me’ and then drilling down further from there*)
• Any obstacles, such as childcare, not having enough time, your job/boss being inflexible with your working hours, etc.
• The things you simply like and don’t like! Could you get help doing some of the chores you absolutely hate? What are you really good at or enjoy doing? What comes easy to you?

* It’s actually very common for friends and family to be worried or seemingly negative about anything new that you embark on, and for several reasons. Topmost among them is likely that they want the best for you and are worried because of the element of risk. People fear the unknown and unfamiliar. But they don’t have to understand it – you have to understand it. If they have some valid points, take them on board objectively. It’s up to you to find out what’s right for you. You can certainly take advice from others, but don’t let their opinion be the be all and end all. 

Every problem has a solution, and when you break everything down you can then go one step further and begin to make plans to find some solutions to any pain points that you’ve identified.

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”
John Maxwell

I know how exhausting and challenging it can be to make the next steps, even if you do manage to carve some time for yourself. With all that in mind, I’ve created my e-book guides to be as easy to follow as possible – they takes the headache out of everything and show you how in easy steps.

A lot of business advice out there is deliberately vague. My e-books (both The Home-Based Typist and Improve Your Transcription Career) are in depth guides and how tos to show you exactly how from start to finish you need to proceed to get you into the line of work you desire. There’s nothing surface or fake, or any withholding information going on. I give you all the facts and practical wisdom on everything you could ever possibly need to know about a career in freelance audio typing/transcription.

And if you’re still not sure if it’s for you, once you’re armed with all of your information, you can decide whether or not you think your dream of becoming a freelancer is really the right fit for you, or not. You’ll have your answer.

For further reading on motivation and success mindset, I recommend this article from TalkSpace The Psychology Behind Success and Failure.