Happy July, freelance friends!

It’s crazy to imagine that we are already over the halfway mark for the year. How are those goals coming along?

Personally, I had three main goals for 2023:

1. Build more margin in my business. (We started this for freedom, right? Right?!)

2. Raise my rates. (Why am I still spending 2023 money from 2020 revenue?)

3. Hone in on the work I wanted to do. (No more saying “YES!” to every project.)

So far, I’ve started each of those three - and still have a bit to go before I feel totally confident in where things are headed. But small steps lead to massive wins - if you stay consistent.

And hey, this newsletter is brand new, so I’ll take that as a win! 🚀

In Today’s Edition

• Uncovering Joy in Freelance: We got into the freelance game for fun, right? Right? So where’s the joy?

• Tweets Of The Week: A few tweets that caught my eye, made me laugh, or made me think!

• A Quick Tip for Invoice Follow-Ups: We all want to get paid. So what do you do when your client is holding out?

Uncovering Joy in Freelancing

Last week, I posted a tweet that got more traction than I expected:

I was thinking back on the shift I made from my previous role (Associate Pastor at a small church in Indianapolis) to going full-time with my freelance writing.

The lead pastor and I were sitting in the smoky back room of the local cigar shop, and he asked me point blank: “What’s bringing you joy right now?”

I remember sitting there in silence for a while. What WAS bringing me joy right then?

I could come up with about 18 things that were sucking the life out of me.

But something - ONE thing - that was bringing me joy?

The Problem

I realized at that moment that I had a problem: I couldn’t point to a single thing I was doing that brought me passion and purpose.

Sure, sure, I had my beautiful wife and two incredible kids. We had a home we loved, a great community, and lots of stuff filling our home and time.

But deep down, I felt that I wasn’t living in my sweet spot. And symptom numero uno was that I wasn’t finding real joy in anything that should have brought me happiness.

So I began to dig in and search my soul for what I wanted to be doing. Who I wanted to be, the fun things that I enjoyed - you name it.

In the words of Mariie Kondo (who I think no longer followers her own rule?), “Does it spark joy?”

The Result

I quickly discovered that one of the primary reasons I wasn’t finding joy in my life was because I was living someone else’s life. Or I was living the life someone else believed I should be living.

• Be this kind of professional. (And don’t follow your seemingly foolish ideas.)

• Enjoy these activities. (Those old things that were fun? You’re too old for that now, family man.)

• Chase those dreams. (The nicer home, car, and vacations aren’t going to earn themselves!)

And while those things aren’t bad, they just weren’t truly me. In fact, I had started to lose track of who I actually was.

So over the past few years, I’ve been on a journey to rediscover what makes me tick and what ignites the passion in my soul.

One of those steps was to make a massive career shift into freelance writing - something I’ve always loved and found success in.

I’ve found that when I do what I enjoy and receive affirmation that what I create is valuable, I can build joy in my work.

That then overflows into other aspects of my life - my marriage, family, friends, activities, etc.

And when I feel the freedom and joy to pursue those things that bring a smile to my face, I can be the best version of myself for the world. Because at the end of the day, that’s all we really have to offer.

So What?

As a freelancer, what’s bringing you joy right now? Can you point to something that is keeping you moving ahead with enthusiasm? Have you taken the time to reflect on how your work impacts others and creates value?

Those questions are an essential part of determining if your actions today are truly fulfilling for your life tomorrow.

It’s easy to become caught up in the moment, but always having a larger goal in mind will help ensure you stay motivated and productive.

Doing meaningful work can be incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, so make sure you’re taking the time to truly reflect on what you’re doing and how it fits in with your larger life goals.

With that insight, you can decide about the type of projects and clients you take on - and how your business serves you - and not the other way around.

Freelance Gems From The Bird App

A weekly roundup of my favorite tweets from friends (and maybe some foes.)

Y’all keeping up with the Twitter madness? I feel like I’m going to have to make a change to this section of the newsletter, because 90% of you won’t even be able to see these tweets. 😅

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: if you deliver on time, communicate often, and work with integrity, you’ll rise above the competition FAST.

#same

This one hit a bit too hard. How many times have you put off a project or a task because it felt overwhelming - only for it to take 20 minutes once you sat down and did the dang thing?

Tracking my time - and really, all aspects of my life - has become integral to my journey of reclaiming my joy and purpose. More on that to come in future newsletters!

Tuesday’s Coming…

It’s Monday of the first week of July- so if you are in the US, happy Independence Day! If you aren’t, bear with us as we try and navigate half a week on zero motivation amid hours of fireworks.

1. Check on those invoices: Say it with me again, “I 👏 will 👏 get 👏 paid 👏.” Don’t wait until halfway through this month to follow up on those unpaid invoices. I still have a few outstanding from March and April - and you can bet they are getting an email today.

2. Taking a vacation? Let your clients know! Whether you are taking a full week, a full day, or will be working less than usual - let your clients know what to expect from you with communication. They’ll thank you for it!

3. What’s next for your freelance biz: How are you going to expand (or reduce to expand) your business in the second half of 2023. Let me know, and let’s stay accountable together!

Until next Monday, may your coffee be strong - and your deadlines be few.