Why I Don't Want to be the Best

I know people say that freelance writing is a highly competitive field and that if you want to succeed, you need to be the best. Deb addressed the issue of convincing a client that you are the best in her blog post, If You Don’t Feel You’re the Best, How Will You Convince Your Clients? I’ve been thinking about the idea of being “the Best” and I want to explain why I don’t want that designation.

I’m Enjoying the Journey

To me, deciding that someone is the best means that they have peaked. If there is a summit as a freelance writer, they have reached it. I’m still enjoying the journey, and I don’t feel that I’ve reached all the goals that I have set for myself yet.

I’m Competing Against Myself, Not Other Freelancers

To decide that one person is the best, implies that someone else, well, isn’t. What freelancers do isn’t like a sport where determining the winner is based on goals scored or who has the fastest time. As long as I’m improving in my work and my craft, I’m happy, and I can celebrate my colleagues’ victories when they land a great gig – whether I applied for it too or not. They are friends and allies, not competition.

I’d Rather Focus on the Client’s Needs

I work very hard to give my clients what they want. When I apply for a freelance writing gig, I share information about my experience and skills, but I believe that the best writer isn’t necessarily the person who gets hired. It may come down to price or getting your resume in front of the person at the right time, not necessarily whether you are the best or not.

I’m more interested in convincing a client that we can develop a mutually-beneficial relationship than that I’m the best writer on the planet. Like beauty, that designation is in the eye of the beholder –  or the reader in this case.

How important is it for you to be the best? What does being the best mean to you?