Fueled by Fear: How freelancers can become better by being completely terrified
It’s amazing what people can do when their backs are against the wall. From grandmothers being able to lift a car off of their grandchild with their bare hands to someone being able to survive a knife attack. The ability to overcome is something truly fascinating.
So why do most of us fall victim to the fears we have? It cripples us and causes unnecessary timidness in our daily activities. Instead of getting out there and going after our goals, we get trapped into believing that good is good enough.
It’s never good enough.
Or at least it shouldn’t be.
So how can you turn your fear into fuel? How can you take a minute or two out of your day, acknolwedge your fears and then turn that nervous energy into the ability to stay up past 4am working, busting your ass and making sure you’re not going to fail?
Before we get to that, let’s look into what one of the biggest fears that freelancers have.
Fear of failure.
Maybe you’re the only person in your house that’s working and your entire families success weighs on your shoulders. Maybe you’ve just found out that you’re expecting a child and your current income is only enough to keep you and your significant other afloat.
Maybe, maybe, maybe.
No matter what the specifics of the fears you have are, they almost always boil down to a fear of failure.
Will I land this new job? Will I totally rock during my next meeting? What if I cannot get the rent for this month? What will happen if my main source of income suddenly dries up?
Yeah, I’ve been there.
I’m there right now actually. It’s 4am and I’m writing this post and designing at the same time (well, not at the exact same time – I obviously can’t write and design at the same time, but you know what I mean).
I’m scared too.
But what I’ve learned is that this fear that fills my mind can be a good thing.
You know the cliche “when your back’s against the wall…” right? Well, it’s something that I always looked at as just another cliche but lately I’ve really been seeing the benefits of having your back against the wall.
Instead of feeling comfortable with my life and being happy that I’ve been freelancing full time for 5 years, I’m nervous and I love the feeling. The idea of the unknown really excites me.
It scares the living shit out of me, but it also excites me beyond belief.
Fueling your freelance business with fear
So how do you use fear to your advantage? The first thing you need to do is understand that your fears are not going to break you. The fear itself is just your idealistic mind creeping into your gut and shutting down your adventurous side.
Instead of being crippled by your fear, you can use it to build up a non-stop work ethic and fuel your freelance business to new heights because you know if you don’t work as hard as you’ve ever worked in your life, your whole world will shut down.
Remind yourself every day of what you’re afraid of first thing in the morning and right before you go to sleep. Focus on your fears and allow yourself to see the fear for what it is – your mind telling you what you need to do.
Your fears are just hidden clues to what’s really most important in your life. Acknowledge the fears and recognize their power.
Instead of spending time on social media sites thinking that tomorrow will come and you’ll be able to get a project done, get off your ass and start hustling. Spend the next 6 hours knocking out a project you were putting off.
Remind yourself during this time that if you don’t get it done you’re going to go broke and lose your house, car and entire life.
Drastic? Yes.
Essential? Definitely.
There’s a reason that a lot of success stories you hear about a lot of the wealthiest people in the world involve them being poor and/or homeless, down on their luck and at rock bottom.
It’s because when they hit that wall and couldn’t back up any more, they had no choice but to fight back. Fight or flight kicks in and instead of being giant pussies, they dug their feet into the ground and pushed back.
Your fear is a bully.
The longer you pretend that it will go away if you don’t feed it, the longer it’ll be right there in your face pushing you and beating you up.
How do you get rid of bullies in school? You punch them right in the fucking face and they learn that you’re not someone they can push around.
The same is true with your fears.
So instead of allowing your fears to stop you from being successful, use it to your advantage. Remind yourself daily about why you’re fighting and never stop pushing forward.
