How we spend our days is how we spend our lives. Why Annie Dillard’s words relate to being a freelancer

We all have some kind of plans for our lives. Someday I will start to work on writing jobs which I truly love, someday I will travel the world, someday I will be the king of my castle. Yet, somehow, we do not fully realise that our lives are actually made up of the today’s that we live every day. Because of this, we continue to drudge in a life that falls short of our expectations, doing things that have no meaning for us. The cost of this is huge. As our plans get deferred to some arbitrary point in the future, without realising it, every morning we wake up not doing what we love. We are essentially giving up on our dreams.

Assuming control of a situation and the outcome is not always easy especially when it concerns our livelihood. Fear is perhaps the biggest factor followed by procrastination. These two menaces can derail all of our plans, one day at a time. Yet, there is hope! Being a freelancer and working on writing jobs offers a way out of both fear and procrastination, allowing you to spend your days how you want to spend your life. But first, let’s take a brief look at the unfounded fear and procrastination that keep holding us back from doing what we truly love.

(Unfounded) Fear

It is perhaps an easier proposition to let someone else handle the intricacies of ensuring you have enough income to sustain yourself and any dependents you might have. Easier, however, is not always better. In fact, it rarely is. Everybody can make mistakes and entrusting a company of people with your future is not always the wisest of decisions.

Gone are the days of industry players having a secured future. We live in an age of disruptions, where a newcomer with a fresh idea can very easily be the David to the industry Goliath. Assuming responsibility for your life, including the income you need to live the kind of life you want to live, puts you in the control seat. Fortunately, we live in a world that makes it easy to have a steady stream of work yet maintain control of your time and the work you do. Freelancing is a no-brainer that ticks all the boxes. Build a trusting relationship with a freelance company (or companies) and you will be able to do more of what you enjoy – for example writing jobs – on the terms that work out for you.

Procrastination

When we are faced with a tough choice, it is easier to offload the decision-making to someone else, someone we perhaps feel has more experience and knowledge than us. Sometimes that person is our future self. We think that, in the future, we will somehow have acquired the necessary skill set and experience to be able to make it as a freelancer. To make it worse, by postponing the problem to the future we still feel we are taking responsibility, but the reality is we are not fixing the problem. The truth is, skills get better the more we practice something. Learning is a process and even the best of us will continue learning as we go along. To learn, however, you need to put in the time and that should start today!

Freelancing

Freelancing is a middle ground that has a huge upside. Established companies with an existing client-base take out the work you shouldn’t be focusing on, allowing you to do what you do best – whether it’s writing jobs, graphic design, photography or whatever it is you are passionate about! It offers the flexibility to set your own schedules, vary the pace of work according to your circumstances and assume responsibility for your own life. It allows you to very quickly live the life you have always dreamed of living, doing what matters most to you!

Freelancing is also a good proposition to those who have found what they love but need something more. Whether it’s expressing creativity, diversifying your income portfolio or gathering experience, freelancing has something for everyone. All we’re saying here today is to have the courage to take one small step in this direction. No need to quit your job, pack your bags and go live in India, but deciding to start that journey is the biggest step of all. If writing jobs are your passion, then sign up and have a look and see if this could be for you. If it’s not writing, it doesn’t matter – just find that path and jump on!