Freelancing to Freedom

This past summer, I jumped out of a plane at 10,000 feet. Most of my friends thought I was crazy. “Why? What would prompt you to do such a thing???” they asked. I told them I wanted to challenge expectations. No one expected me to do it. The main reason though was because I wanted to challenge myself – step out of my comfort zone in a big way. I needed to believe that I had the ability to do something terrifying and liberating and come out OK on the other side.

Those 40 seconds of free falling were like nothing I had ever experienced. I thought I was going to die. I kept telling myself though, “Just enjoy it. It won’t last long.” And it didn’t. The parachute opened and I laughed hysterically with relief and excitement. Would I do it again? In a second.

Those of you who have been reading my blog since the day I started it will know that I have had a part-time serving job since I started freelancing. This week, I jumped out of the freelancing airplane, so to speak, and quit.  Am I terrified? You bet. Is it something I needed to do? More than anything.

Shortly before I made the decision, I went for lunch with one of my good friends who is also a business owner. She gave me tough love and told me to “take off the golden handcuffs.” I had come to rely on my serving job and was not allowing my business to move forward. My safety net was actually holding me back. Now, with no one to rely on but myself, I am forced to focus all my attention and energy on my editing company. I’m feeling the fear but have never felt so liberated.

I am beyond excited to test my comfort level and to see how much I can grow over the next few months. I have to have confidence that my skills and the work I have already put in will be my parachute. And to everyone who has supported me, encouraged me, mentored me, and told me to smarten up when it was necessary, thank you. And thanks for reading this.

So what’s scaring you? Do you need to feel the fear in order to move forward? You might make some big mistakes, but it might just be worth it to take that risk in the end.  Pack your parachute and then just enjoy it – it won’t last long.

Happy freelancing!