Anytime someone makes a choice to do make a change in their life, it attracts the attention of naysayers. You don’t need to look very far to find someone who is only too willing to tell you that you aren’t going to be able to succeed at whatever goal you have set for yourself.
I think part of the naysayer mentality is that when someone wants to make a change, it shakes up the quo. There definitely is pressure to conform when people are in any type of a group setting. A person who announces that they want to do start any kind of a business venture, including freelance writing, is definitely stepping out of their own comfort zone.
They are also making the people around them a bit uncomfortable, too. They may be feeling envious of the person who is making this choice or they may be projecting their own fears onto the freelancer by asking about how the new freelancer is going to find clients or pay their bills. They may even belittle the freelancer’s career choice. (I’ve had people refer to what I do as my “little hobby.”)
There will always be people in your circle of family, friends and acquaintances who won’t get what you do. They may point to the supposed security of working for an employer as opposed to working for yourself. There is no security in having a job. If the company is going through difficult economic times, you may be laid off no matter how well you did your job.
At some point you need to put on blinders to what other people are saying to you about your choices. You can choose to consider what they have to say if you like, but if it doesn’t provide you with encouragement or something that you can use to help you reach your goals, just put that person on ignore.
If you are feeling gracious, thank them for their concern but tell them that you have whatever it is covered. Then get busy and do what you need to do to make your career what you want it to be.
Either the naysayers will be quiet or you’ll be far too busy to think about them anyway.
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