Congratulations, you escaped the 9-5 to become a solopreneur ! You decided to join YouEconomy, this growing global movement of pioneers who chose not to know what to work on, for how many hours, by a boss who also wonders who set up this archaic, industrial and obsessed economy consumption.
Are you going to write cheeky marketing copy for clients on Freelancer.com? Put your graphic design skills to work for Fiverr? It could be your own online business selling 80s video game memorabilia.
What will be your biggest challenge? Find customers? Choosing that perfect coworking space with unlimited coffee?
Ha-ha-ha, if only it were that easy. As you read this answer, it will help to imagine it written in blazing letters 300 feet high across a mountain. It's you!
The biggest obstacle to finding your place in the promised land of being your own boss is nothing external; it's the battle for control of the damp computer between your ears.
Related: Christy Wright's Top Tips for Starting a YouEconomy Business
Lego Despair
After traveling around Africa for seven months, how could I ever get back to working in government? Instead, I decided to create carbon neutral homes with better insulation, solar panels; all the green stuff.
My mom was thrilled that I was moving into her basement. For two weeks, I was ultra-productive, writing a business plan, connecting with builders, and working on a company logo. But as the weeks passed, I spent more time underground playing Fallout 3, procrastinating, and ignoring my vicious mental chatter.
One Friday morning, I found my old Lego train and I thought it would be pleasantly nostalgic to store it together. I finished, pulled back and…desperate. I was 26, but I felt like a 10 year old. What was I doing with my life?
I had no money, I was living in my mother's basement and I saw no hope for my business. Terror sets in. Back in government, here I go.
Fantastic self-doubts and where to find them
It took me five tries, four companies and 10 years to escape into the YouEconomy. I became familiar with all forms of self-doubt and learned to get out of my own way.
Here are the five biggest challenges to succeeding alone and how to deal with them:
1. Self-motivation
“The best motivation is self-motivation. The guy says, "I wish someone would come and turn me on." What if they don't show up? You must have a better plan for your life. —Jim Rohn
Those entering this new world for the first time will not understand the challenge of self-motivation. From the day we are born, we are told what to do and when. In kindergarten, “Now it's time to paint. » Take the bus at 8 am. Take this test and get your diploma. Go to college and complete the required courses. Then go straight to your first job and work set hours, on specific tasks handed down from above.
When you become your own boss, the first question is, "What do I do now?" Look around you and for the first time in your life, there is no one to tell you.
You are now the CEO of a one-to-one company. Not only are you responsible for setting strategy, finding clients and managing cash flow, but you also need to keep the whole company motivated and morale high.
How to deal with it :
Losing motivation (easily and often) in YouEconomy is guaranteed. The best way to keep moving forward is to create a vivid and emotional mental picture of your Why and conjure it daily. It may be enough to tell you how unhappy you were at your old job and how you never want to go back.
I would recommend creating a positive a clear picture that includes how you use your freedom, who you serve, the silly money you earn, and what it allows you to do. Then, launch into an emotional whirlwind until your desire for this life is a 10 out of 10.
Put on pants, every day.
2. MoneyPanics
"Worrying is praying for things you don't want." —Jen Sincero
The day you quit your job will be pure happiness and excitement. Your first MoneyPanic will come to visit when you look at your bank account three weeks later and project how many months of food and rent you have left.
If you are not adept at mind control, this state of panic can become anxiety by default, always on your shoulder. It will practically impair your ability to do a good job and make smart decisions.
How to deal with it:
Before you quit your old job, write down how much money you need to survive each month. Decide how many lead months you will need to replace your income. Then double it (expect the unexpected). Record this amount before you leave.
Make sure you have consulting work that can help pay the bills (even if the consulting is a few shifts a week). During my last 9-5 job, I got a consistent job in the gig economy that paid my rent and then some. It gave me the security I needed to kick off those MoneyPanics.
3. I'm not good enough
"Most people overestimate what they're going to do in a year, and they underestimate what they can do in a decade, two, three or so." four. » – Tony Robbins
In the beginning of trying to succeed in YouEconomy, you will probably be terrible at whatever you choose to do. Do you remember how long it took you to feel confident in your current role? Now imagine starting a new job and trying to do every other job in the company – accounting, sales and marketing, web and graphic design, video editing, customer support – while trying to be the CEO of your one-person business.
Leaving a job you're good at to take on several new roles, rolled into one, it becomes easy to start questioning your value as a human.
How to deal with it:
Separate your value as a person from your productivity or success. I still struggle with that, but remember:do you love your nieces and nephews less because they're not good at things yet? Would you love your wife less if she was in a car accident and spent six months in the hospital, unable to work? Why love me less when I struggle?
Develop your muscular patience. “Dealing with the temporary frustration of not progressing is an integral part of the path to excellence,” said world-renowned trainer Christopher Sommer. “Quality long-term results require quality long-term attention. No emotion. No drama. No knocks over small bumps in the road. Learn to appreciate and enjoy the process. " To arrive. To do work. Results will follow, but on their own timeline.
4. I need to push myself harder
“Ours is a culture where we wear our ability to get by on very little sleep like a kind of badge of honor that symbolizes the work ethic, or tenacity, or some other virtue –but really, it’s a total deep failure of priorities and self-respect. " – Maria Popova
At the start of my solopreneurship journey, I chose a new computer wallpaper, an image of one of the D-Day landings in 1945, taken from the boats, soldiers storming the beach and catching fire. The caption above was, "Harden the F*** Up." I thought that constant kick in the pants would help. If I wanted to do this, I would have to toughen up.
Forcing myself to live under that guillotine only created depression and anxiety, feelings of worthlessness, disdain for my job, and my life. led to burnout. I didn't need to toughen up; I needed to balance! When you go to the gym, you work close to your limits, not so hard that you pull a ligament. Speed up.
How to deal with it:
Protect your most important asset:you. If you owned a factory, you wouldn't whip your employees; you congratulate them. You wouldn't kick the machines to work faster; you would maintain them regularly. When your mental and emotional states are balanced and healthy, you are doing your best. Creativity flows and your relationships improve, which is paramount in any business.
Leave something in the tank. It makes you more productive. Hemingway would stop writing when he was in the middle of a flowing thought or scene in order to have an attractive place to start the next day (and drank wine at noon). He knew how to stop before writing became a chore.
5. Not having a stop button
“For everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under the sky. » – Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
As your own boss, you will be tempted to work every waking moment. At the start of my trip, my "official" working hours were 8 am to 6 pm. However, I found myself answering emails, making minor changes to my website, and reading marketing blogs at night, all while watching TV.
This job “halfway through is counterproductive on two counts. First of all, everything you do in multitasking is substandard. Second, you need absolute downtime – to unplug – to stay accurate and do a great job.
How to deal with it:
Schedule downtime. There is a time for work and a time for effort. Use the “unscheduled” to protect game, exercise, friend, and idle time.
Take a tech vacation. Put your phone in a drawer and turn off your laptop. If you are not disciplined enough to stay away, use apps to block your access to certain sites, apps, or the internet. I've heard good things about Freedom.
Finally, remember Why you work in YouEconomy in the first place:to set your own schedule and work on what you want, when you want; to love his life and feel joy and happiness most of the time. Take a breather once in a while to enjoy your freedom, and you might find your place here in the new world.
