When you went into freelancing, what were you excited about? The first things to pop into your head might be more freedom, no more bosses, and working your own schedule.

Did you ever think about the downside of the business? Did anyone ever mention the long hours, finding clients and being responsible for everything from administrative tasks to billing invoices?

There still are many obstacles in the way of your success that might not even be on your radar. I want to focus on the mental aspect of freelancing. There are some things that even the best must overcome to be successful.

One such hurdle is negativity. Now we all faced it in some form of our lives. Do a quick search on Facebook, YouTube, or any other social forum. The comments are enough to make anyone scream.

Our society thrives on wanting to tear others down. But by getting into the right mindset, you can overcome those negative thoughts. That in turn, will lead to a happy and thriving freelance career.

“How does this relate to freelancing?” you may ask yourself. Well come closer, I’m going to give you the lowdown… There are people out there that want to see you fail. Preparing yourself mentally will help you rise when you are at your worst moments in your career. Believe me, there will be times when you want to pack up and quit. Don’t listen to that static inside your own head. No one said freelancing would be easy.

Freelancing Is A Mental Attitude As Well

In a perfect world, everyone will be happy with your new chosen career path. For me, I decided that I had enough of the daily office job and wanted to strike out on my own. When I began to mention the thought of leaving the 9 to 5 world, I faced many questions and snide remarks.

So, you’re just doing this until you get a real job, right?

You have a backup plan when this doesn’t work out?

You’ll get bored and want to come back to a steady paycheck.

When I heard people say things like that, I felt a knife cut into me. I’ve always had a (bad) habit of taking everything to heart. For a while, I had a lot of self-doubt about what I wanted to do.

“Maybe they’re right?” I thought to myself. “People don’t leave a steady job to strike out on their own, do they?”

Negativity raced through my mind like a train across the countryside. I was that line of thought that kept me in an unhealthy work environment. I finally muster up enough courage and said, “I’m done!”

For me, a health crisis shook me to the core and I started to re-evaluate everything. No, I could not keep going on the nice, “secure” path. The whole world awaited me and I did not want an office cube to keep me from living a happy life. I will give you a few tips to keep the negativity away!

Separate Yourself from Negative Thinkers

Let’s face it, most freelance jobs need a little bit of imagination. We rally as “outside the box” thinkers. One sure way to sink that ship is by surrounding yourself with people known as Negative Nancys.

Let’s just face it: People suck! Negative people often are jealous of your accomplishments and want to see you fail. Emptiness or lack of fulfillment in their own lives drives these people to react in this way.

So what’s the best way for them to feel better about themselves? Drag others down. I’ve met a lot of those people in my career and personal life. You know the types. The ones that can never be happy for you. You talk about something really great that happened only to hear… the negative side of things.

Me: I booked two clients today

Negative Nancy: What happens when you finish those jobs? Do you have anything else lined up

Arghhh! It’s enough to throw in the towel. But resist that urge. You have two choices in the matter.

The first choice is to detach yourself from the negative people. No matter how thick-skinned you are, no one can afford to be around this type of thinking. If you cannot cut this person out of your life, then keep it on a very non-business talk level. Sometimes avoiding a fight (or negative remark) is half the battle. You have to decide on your own terms where the bounties lay as far as that relationship goes.

The second choice is to surround yourself with as much positivity as possible. Enough to make a unicorn fart out rainbows. I’ve found a few writers groups online and for the most part, they are positive people and supportive of each other. To grow as a freelancer, you must not feel stifled by others. Find like-minded individuals. We need to support each other in this community. No one understands a freelancer like another freelancer.

Keep The Course

Freelancing is all about keeping yourself motivated and grounded. Taking the first steps can often be a doozy. Getting support from others is very important. No one wants to face the battle alone. There will be plenty of ups and downs in this career. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it! The idea of working for yourself is scary because it is not the “norm.” People assume that by doing something different, it will automatically lead to failure. Don’t get wrapped up in that way of thinking.

Beginning the steps of a freelance career can be terrifying. Usually, the best things in life often have the knot in the stomach feeling. Creative people make the world turn. Without them, we would be sitting in the dark eating grubs. You have to take initiative somewhere in life. For many, freelancing is not for them. Those who want safety and security will recoil at the thought of working for yourself. Is it scary? Sure, it is! There are a lot of unknowns out there. Stick to your own plan!

[bctt tweet=”Negativity Can Take Away From Creativity”]

Don’t Fear the… Failure

I know I talked about positivity so this might come as a surprise, but don’t fear the failure. That comes with success as well. When I was learning to drive and failed my first exam, my instructor asked me if I liked baseball. I said yes, and he asked me who was my favorite player (Robin Ventura!) He then asked me what was his best batting average. I said .301. He told me, “That meant out of 1000 plate appearances, he was only successful 30.1% of the time.” He said, “See even with failure, you are still considered successful. So don’t let this get you down and try it again tomorrow.” Yes, it was cheesy but I’ve taken that advice to heart since then.

Failure is a part of life. The moment you accept it, the easier it becomes to move forward when it does happen.

Realize Your Worth

At some point, the question arises: Is this worth it? Are you the “damn the torpedoes” type and go full glory into the fire? Or (like me) take your time and over-analyze everything? Only you know how much fight is in you. I believe that everyone has a talent for something. Yes, we are all special snowflakes. But it is up to us to cultivate those gifts. As a freelancer, you have the sweat and tears to show your own worth.

Step aside and ask yourself how badly do you want this? For me, my motivation is in the fact of proving the naysayers wrong. If someone doubts me, that only gives me more energy to keep fighting on. What is your limit?

Remember to commit to this lifestyle. It takes a lot of self-determination to be successful. It may not seem like it but hard work and sacrifice do win out in the end. Be the victor in your own story-line.

Dealing with negativity is an important step to start your own freelance career. You need to go in with the right mindset and limiting the negative people. That will greatly help your chances of success. Drown out all the noise! Only you can dictate whether you succeed or fail. Let me know in the comments if you ever experienced this type of negativity. What were your solutions to the problem?