Adventures in Freelancing

Below are all the reasons I listed yesterday as to why I can not freelance full time. Underneath each reason is a rebuttal. Remember, when you debate yourself, you always win!

1. The room that I want for my office is currently our bedroom. We have to finish the addition before I can turn that room into an office. That will cost thousands, and we won’t get a loan because we are anti-debt.
Rebuttal: All the money I earn freelancing for the next three months is going toward the finishing addition. We will have to do much of the work ourselves, but we will get it done by February 2009.
2. I am the sole wage earner in my house. How will I support us and pay all the bills without a real job?
Rebuttal: By writing. And, if times get bad, I can add on a part time job or do some temp work. We don’t have that many bills and can live off very little thanks to our frugality.
3. My Hubby had a heart attack 6 years ago and needs health insurance. How will I get health insurance working for myself? He gets denied individual coverage, so we need group insurance, which is not individually underwritten.
Rebuttal: When you leave a job, you get COBRA for 18 months. After that, there is group coverage through the National Writer’s Union.
4. I am a licensed securities rep. I need to work for a Broker/Dealer to keep my licenses.
Rebuttal: The licenses stay, “good” for two years after you leave your Broker/Dealer. This give me plenty of time to try to make it on my own and, if I can’t within a year and a half then I’ve got six months to find a full time job with a B/D.
5. I don’t have a college education.
Rebuttal: I’m working on that. Also, have you seen how some college grads write? Yeah, you know what I’m talkin’ bout!
6. I’m not good enough.
Rebuttal: I am better than some and worse than others. Isn’t that the boat everyone is in?
7. No one will want me to write for them, there are better writers out there.
Rebuttal: Companies already ask me to write for them. Those that don’t accept my spec work, so, what in the world is my point?

So, I have just refuted every excuse that was holding me back. My bet is that you can do the very same. Why don’t you try?

As I promised here’s my, “impossible” goal/ dream/ fantasy:

It’s nine-o’clock in the morning. I walk into my office, which is located in the front room of my home. The windows are open and there is a cool, gentle breeze caressing the drapes. I set my cup of coffee down on the gently gouged surface of my antique Kittenger desk. Settling into my leather desk chair, I feel the familair give in the supple material. Behind me, the drapes rustle quietly.

I move my pile of library books that I haven’t read yet and go through the mail. As I read the mail, my gaze drifts up to the bookshelves lining my walls. There is no wall visible in the room, since bookshelves cover every surface. My two cats sleep on the afghan my Husband left on the oversized leather recliner in the corner by the door.

At 10AM, I open my laptop and begin working. I pause and am grateful that this is my life. Grateful that I can sit in this room every day and make a living. Grateful that I never have to go to a corporate job, and never have to work for anyone but myself.

Now, I’m going to discuss all of the perfectly reasonable reasons this dream can never come true.

1. The room that I want for my office is currently our bedroom. We have to finish the addition before I can turn that room into an office. That will cost thousands, and we won’t get a loan because we are anti-debt.
2. I am the sole wage earner in my house. How will I support us and pay all the bills without a real job?
3. My Hubby had a heart attack 6 years ago and needs health insurance. How will I get health insurance working for myself? He gets denied individual coverage, so we need group insurance, which is not individually underwritten.
4. I am a licensed securities rep. I need to work for a Broker/Dealer to keep my licenses.
5. I don’t have a college education.
6. I’m not good enough.
7. No one will want me to write for them, there are better writers out there.

This is a sad way to end a blog, but take heart, tomorrow you get the list of reasons why my dream can- and will- be true.

I’m issuing a three-day weekend challenge to you all. It’s an easy challenge, but I think it may be fun.

This weekend, think about your dream. Your ultimate dream. Visualize it. Write it down- as descriptively as possible. It should be fairly short- about 75-100 words.

Carry this dream with you and read it every day. Visualize it every day. Then, find a way to make it happen. Don’t stop short, you’ve come with me this far! Don’t make up excuses about how it’s impossible. Don’t rationalize the impossibility, and talk yourself down- you’re just dreaming after all. That is, until the one day you visualize it, think about doing it….and suddenly realize it CAN be done.

Tomorrow, I’ll share my dream and the reasons why I thought it couldn’t be done.

On Sunday…I’ll share why it CAN.