Do all self employed or freelance people love what they do?
You could be led to believe that based on all of the heart and hustle posts that are churned out daily on social media.
If you are not a #bossbabe or #dailyhustle centric are you doing it wrong?
I had the pleasure of speaking with Jenny Stallard, journalist and founder of the Freelance Feels podcast on an Instagram Live for Self Employed Club recently. You can catch up with the whole conversation here or if you just want a little bit of context however then the following covers some of the main points.
Jenny launched Freelance Feels on National Freelancers Day in 2019. Incidentally the date for that this year is June 21st.
The logo for Freelance Feels is a cactus, because like a cactus freelancers are pretty tough and resilient. We can cope with a lot.
The aim of the weekly show is to help connect people who work for themselves. To showcase some of the fantastic business owners within the self employed sector, and just to help people feel less alone.
What to do when you aren't feeling the self employed love
We are all human we all go through ebbs and flows.
Sometimes when your business is going through a bad patch (probably most of 2020 for many people) it can affect us emotionally too. We get down, we feel low.
So what can we do in those times to help with recovery?
Jenny suggests the following
1. Write down your successes
Keep an inventory of all the things that are going well. That could be social media posts that have been successful. Talks you have given that connected with the audience.
PR you have achieved. Weeks where you had lots of enquiries. Times you met someone to collaborate with.
When things are looking bleak, pull out your lists and remember those times. They will come again.
2. Increase your self care
When you are feeling bad about yourself it affects your business. So the first thing to take care of is you. It could be a little thing like is your desk how you want it? Could cleaning and tidying the space you work in give you a lift?
Would going to a yoga class and focusing on self care and well-being help? Are you getting enough water to keep you feeling good?
If you are not getting outside enough for walks and fresh air could you start taking a lunchtime walk again?
3. Find your tribe
Everyone wants to feel understood. That is critical for our well-being.
An important part of that is finding people in the same boat.
Jenny mentions that Instagram was a good place for her. For others it could be Facebook Groups or LinkedIn.
Taking a first step to just get out there and find others in the same boat could be the difference between loving your business or not.
Thanks again to Jenny for sharing her experience with the Self Employed Club via Instagram and Facebook
Where can you find Jenny online?
Thanks for reading.
Shona
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About Me
Shona Chambers Marketing is a Marketing Agency based in SE London.
Specialising in helping Small Business Owners and Freelancers with their Marketing.