Do the job you love & you won't have to work a day in your life! *NOT TRUE*

Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.

IT’S A LIE!!

Just the other day, the family got together and a distant relative said, “You work for yourself? Must be nice...” My cousin, munching on some cheeda (south Indian snack), immediately butted in “No boss, no schedule and no office.. Waah, what a life”

It was not the first time I have heard this. I have had people from all walks of life telling me something on those lines, just 10 minutes into meeting them. They either think that  

(a) I generally sell my services for close to free or

(b) I am living life to the fullest because I am exactly that, free.

Almost everyone feels that the freelance / entrepreneur life is bliss.

Okay, I shall let you in on a secret. The hustle is on everyday & I am busier than I was when I was employed!

The basic principle of freelance is built on the idea of having more time to do what you love. I took this call to have the freedom to work from home, to be free from spending 4 hours commuting in Mumbai, to be free from trappings of a workplace / job, to be free to do work on my terms.

The core idea is to strike (the mythical) work-life balance. I do not have to build my life around a corporate work schedule and have complete control over my work & personal time.

Yes, I put a tick mark against all those. Yet, a good part of my day is spent on developing more work & filling in that empty calendar.

You see, being a freelancer has its own Pros & Cons. To make you understand this in a better fashion, let me list a few “TRUTHS”

1. WEARER OF MANY HATS : You are Batman. No, not really. Just like him though, you are a one man army. I need to become the owner, business development lead, strategist, marketeer, troubleshooter, finance guy (No one's gonna help you make those invoices & you gotta file your own taxes!!) and a bunch of other roles. It is a heady mix. Apart from the learning curve involved, a lot of these tasks are transactional & administrative in nature. They take away a lot of your time and don't make you money!
2. Drive: I am not talking about long drives on weekend. One needs to have a strong drive to make things happen. Many times, I feel that it is less about skill and more about drive that will put you on the map. This is not to say that one does not need skills. You do, as much as any average corporate employee. But, what will set you apart is the drive, the ambition, the hunger to make it to top.In doing many things to achieve success / get paid enough, one may find it difficult to maintain the hunger. It is important to not not succumb to these temporary setbacks and keep working.

3. Managing Finances: Cash flow is important. For anyone who draws an assured paycheck at the end of every month, the worry about finances is considerably lesser. All of us have bills & EMIs to pay, we need to put food on the table and also have enough to enjoy life.

As a freelancer, money comes in when there is enough work. So, making a budget becomes extremely crucial. Some clients pay weekly, monthly or even quarterly. So, the budgeting needs to be done all the time to ensure that you are not walking a tightrope.

4.FINDING WORK / CLIENTS: As an employee, one does not need to worry about finding work. As a freelancer, the No 1 nightmare is finding a continuous source of clients. Why? When you have enough client, you have enough work, and eventually, enough money!

It is imperative that you find high quality, recurring and trusted clients. In a competitive environment, there are people who would be ready to do the job at a fraction of the cost. Hence, convincing the client of your worth and getting paid accordingly is a necessity.

5. PRIORITIZING / TIME MANAGEMENT: Prioritize. It is not something that people inherently do. By default, for most of us, our tasks are in the ‘do it now’ zone. As soon as we remember that we have to do it, we jump to getting it done. There is no one to tell you what to do, no one to count your hours, and no one is checking that you are done the work. If you don’t do it, you simply won’t be paid.

I personally follow the 4Ds theory :

• Do - Do it now
• Decide - Schedule a time to do it
• Delegate - Get someone to do it
• Delete - Eliminate it
• Practicing this takes time and planning. I am yet to master this art completely. Baby steps, the, I guess!

This is not to say that Freelancing is all about stress. While it is, initially, about making a lot of adjustments, it does become easy after a while. The important thing here is to go all in at the very beginning to figure out the highs & lows.

Freelance has offered me a great life.

1. I have control over my time. I get to spend time with my family. Something that I sorely missed while at work. I enjoy spending afternoons with my 8 month old grow. It is a blessing to watch her grow.
2. I have flexibility of choice. I get to chose my clients, my project and the general niche that I would like to operate in. I also get to chose my work hours. I am an early morning person. My last workplace was a place where work started at 12 Noon! Now, I begin worK at 8 in the morning.
3. Better Lifestyle. Life, in general, gets better. You get more time relax. The commute is no more a part of your daily routine. Most importantly, I get to eat home cooked food, on time, everyday :)
4. Break free from rituals. If you are a person who does not like the stress of living out a routine ( 8 AM train, Check in at 10 AM, etc) The whole time consuming routine to & fro from work is gone and you save a lot of money & energy in the bargain :) You do not meet the same people everyday too :)
5. Set your own income: As a freelancer, you are not only in a position to control your income, but also increase it. Let me also be the first to tell you that earning more comes with experience. When you grow, you may start delegating work to other amateur freelancers. The options are endless.

So, Is freelancing for you?

I do not know that. In my opinion, it is just like anything else in life. You have great days and some not so great days. Sometimes you win & sometimes you let go. Some people prefer the stability & the paycheck that comes along with a steady job and people like me prefer the flexibility & lifestyle that freelancing offers!

Like I mentioned in my previous article, make a priority list, speak to your mentor / partner, consult a friend who is already a freelancer / entrepreneur and then take an informed call.

In the end, What matters is that you determine your goals and plan a way to get there, whatever that looks like.

I hope this helps all of you in a small, but meaningful way. Some of the things were not taught to me. What are the things no one told you about freelance / Entrepreneurial life?

Let me know :)

Are you a Career Sleepwalker?

Did you wake up with a foreboding sense of deja vu? Like you've lived the exact same day over and over again? If so, you are not alone.

Before we go any further, Let me give you some perspective.

I met 2 people yesterday. The meetings were held at the same coffee shop. I ended up ordering the same things in both the meetings. Both meetings lasted for 1 hour each. The takeaways from both meeting were, however, very different. 20 mins into the 2nd meeting, I lost interest! I quickly realized that I was talking to a career sleepwalker.

Who is this, you ask? Let me tell you.

A career sleepwalker is a person who has let his / her professional career go on auto pilot mode! These are people who think, 'Life is OK. I do not like job. I am getting through the day. But hey, I get a steady paycheck!' Now, I understand that with all the burdens and commitments (Read EMIs, bills etc), it feels like it is just okay for life to take it's own course as far as there is money coming in. If there is no danger of losing the job, people feel no reason to rock the boat and let the career move on cruise control.

Having spent some time sleepwalking myself & after having spoken to many others over the years, here are some common reasons / excuses:

1) Too risky to switch jobs now

2) Fear of the unknown

3) “I do not want to start over again”

4) Loss of confidence

5) “Don’t know what to do / which career path is right for me”

6) Not skilled / educated enough

Here is what I have to say. It is okay to sleepwalk. It is okay, as far as you realise that. Because, forget the money, you could be missing out on a great career that would make you a happier person.

Gain control of your career! As LinkedIn says, it is time to make a #CareerPivot.

I know that all this is easier said than done. So, I am going to my bit by telling you about how I overcame this and made a successful #CareerPivot!

1) Know the signs: If you find yourself asking the question - “If there more to it than this?” everyday, then there is indeed more to it than you are doing! When you start thinking about this more often than tending to your daily task list, you know it. If you are restless at work, you know it. If you think of a vacation everyday, sitting on your work desk, you know it.

2) Make a check list: Making a simple checklist is probably the biggest and significant step in acknowledging the state of mind. The checklist could include your strengths (that could convert to a career path), interests and look for opportunities accordingly. If you like your current job, but have stopped learning / growing, maybe, look for alternatives / ways to make things happen & not wait for your appraisal to come around! A checklist is like a routine check-up that will put a lot of things in perspective.

3) Research: Once you have something to shoe in the interest / strength column, it is easy to look ahead. Do some research online or get a friend / family to help you with it. Ask around. This could be a good reality check before venturing into the unknown. Aspects like, what designation, salary expectations & job expectations could become very clear and help you make an informed decision.

4) Look for a mentor: Now, this could be a person within or outside of the organisation. An insider could help open a few doors for you, whereas, an outsider, could help you with a broader picture / perspective and help you get ready. Reach out to people & be truthful about your state of mind. It always helps in calming yourself & getting better and quicker solutions.

5) Give that hobby a spin: If you have a hobby / skill that you have been honing for a while and you feel that it has the potential to become a sustainable business, give it a shot at nghts / on weekends. Give your hobby sometime. It helps in de-stressing you and also figuring out if this can become a way of life.

6) Become a part of networking groups:These groups would help you in broadening your network and thinking. A leadership group would push you to think in a way that you haven't thought because you are too stressed with your current role. Surrounding oneself with motivated individuals will certainly help you grow.

7) READ: I cannot stress this point enough. This might not help you in getting a job, but will certainly help you in motivating yourself in figuring out ways to keep climbing that corporate ladder.

It took me almost 8 years to make a #CareerPivot. I too, like many out there, was running on the treadmill with my career going nowhere. With the help of my family and a few motivated friends, I was able to get out of the rut and make a bold move. Yes, I made a couple of mistakes along the way. It is bound to happen, though. Just take the small step in acknowledging that you are sleepwalking and try and move to the next step in a week. I am sure you will find success.

Take steps to stay active in your career, so that you are happy everyday in the work that you do. #YOLO could be a popular hashtag, but that does not mean you can have only one career. Make that move. Life will be better!