Freelancing Free Falling

They say going freelance is like jumping off a cliff. In my case, jumping into a very deep hole inside an underground cave is more like it.


I don't really know what possessed me to take this route. I have certainly taken some risks in the past, but calculated ones at that. There is always a plan, a contingency, a potential risk solution and a safety net. I have never been one to say (or sing) "whatever will be, will be." So why now? Why go freelance?

It was because everything in my life, after all, was in disarray. My hopes and dreams were pretty vague. But one thing I know for sure is that there are opportunities out there that are waiting to be discovered.

I was still employed as an Account Manager for a training firm when the opportunity came up. I was in need of a second income that will not go against my work schedule and responsibilities. Being the obsessive compulsive freak that I am, I laid out my skills and work experience before me and opened my computer to look for opportunities online that will match my qualifications. And there it was...this one ad that caught my eye. A Philippine-based company with overseas clients seeking for new web content are actually looking for article writers to write for them. Isn't that sweet? Of course the procrastinator in me also led to a month long application procedure...but that's better saved for another post.

The point here is this...I have always thought that I would spend the rest of my working life as an employee, just like my parents. After all, it does offer stability, a steady income, and a nice comfortable spot you can call your own. You have been spoken for as opposed to speaking for yourself. Someone else is lobbying for your rights as against having to lobby them yourself. It was a safe ground for me...somewhere I was pretty sure I wouldn't fail. But lo and behold I did. Was it that I'm not cut out to be part of this world? Maybe. Did my interest in climbing the corporate ladder falter through the years? Perhaps. But the bottom line is that the moment I actually stopped feeling anything and I felt my senses and my actions go on auto-pilot, I knew that I was diving head first into unchartered territories. The moment the nights when I write these articles became the highlight of my day, I knew that another kind of life was waiting for me on the other side.

The big question was whether I would jump or not.

Here are some of my shoulds as I prepared to take that leap:

• I should at least have some savings. The savings definitely helped keep the bills paid and credit card debts resolved.
• I should have some form of protection. Not the kind most of you are thinking of, probably, but the kind that will give me personal security against any kind of danger. (like of the medical kind).
  
• I should have a strategy in getting projects and look for more than one means to earn an income.
• I should have explored all other options for making money through the internet and other sources of income prior to my resignation.
• I should have a car.
• I should have a wealthy husband that will feed me in case I turn into one of those starving writer cliches
  
• I should write my goals down on paper.

The first four were quite easy to accomplish, but the last three were obviously the result of my capriciousness. For one, it is hard to buy a car when you are obviously just starting out with a new gig. Second, it's not like you can place an ad for a wealthy husband and expect qualified applicants to come straight at your doorstep. And third...well...I just basically ran out of time to do that before I got booted out.

So there goes my list. And no, it does not make for a nice fall. In fact, I am still free falling as we speak. Well, not so much as falling, but more like floating really.

Once you go freelance, you cannot rest on your laurels and expect a nice outcome. There probably is no enough preparation for anyone who are willing to take that step of faith. The shoulds that prepared me for this occasion have only settled my beliefs that if things turn for the worse, I know that I can still survive. Your preparation will not help stop the fall; it's like a parachute in that sense...it only makes for a soft landing. If that statement scares the hell out of you, then you should think twice before going on your own. But if you see that as a challenge, like I did, then get ready to jump.

One thing I've realized in my years of employment is that I was always working my way up. This was the first time in years, I took a step knowing I could easily fall and get hurt. But I soon realized that taking that free fall is not so bad especially if you're not exactly having a nice time with the view from the top. The deep hole of the unknown is not just filled with scary thoughts of failure, but more than that, it is filled with hope for greener pastures. Who knows, I might reach greater heights after taking quite the fall. And I will surely let you know if and when that happens.