It wouldn’t be the end of a year and the start of a new one – a new decade even – if I didn’t stop for a moment and look back on the year I’ve had. It’s been eventful, to say the least.
Since quitting my secure (but unenjoyable) job back in March to pursue the freelance life, I’ve experienced the ups and downs of small business ownership. But when I tallied up all the work I’d done over the year, the numbers are quite impressive. Here’s what my year in 2019 looked like in numbers:
Content marketing plans
Content articles/blogs
Press releases
eBooks
Websites
Sales brochures
Video scripts
Magazine articles
No wonder I’m exhausted! Honestly, this year has been beyond my wildest dreams. If this is what I achieved as a ‘newbie’ freelance content and communication specialist, I can’t wait to see what I’ll do with a year’s experience under my belt.
Speaking of next year, I’ve spent some time thinking about this too. It’s a natural progression, really. And rather than set resolutions, which I never do anyway, or lofty goals, I’ve decided to focus on improving in a specific area: bravery.
Bravery (noun): courageous behaviour; ready to face or endure danger or pain.
This is how I’m going to embrace bravery in 2020:
Be selective about my work.
I’m still in the ‘early days’ mindset of taking on any and all work that comes my way. I then begrudgingly plough through the jobs I don’t really want to do. Instead, I’m going to be more selective about the work I take on, even if it means turning away potential pay cheques. After all, I started out as a freelancer to be happier.
Stop overthinking every. little. thing.
This is an unhealthy habit of mine that I do in all aspects of my life. It often stops me from moving forward, from getting tasks done, and from enjoying moments for what they are. So, I’m publicly committing to stopping the overthinking. Get a task done and move on. At the very least, sleep on it. Things are never as bad as first thought after a good night sleep (if I can stop my thoughts long enough to get to sleep…).
Ask more questions.
It’s in my nature to keep questions to myself and ponder them internally (see above point). This often results in unnecessary stress and time wasted. Instead, I’m going to be brave and ask the hard questions: Why haven’t they replied to my first draft? (It probably has nothing to do with whether they like it or not). Will you give me a testimonial? (I’ll never know if I don’t ask). Can you introduce me to someone I’d like to work with? (It’s all about who you know, right?).
With a bit of focused effort, I’m hoping that being braver in my business will lead to an even bigger year.
So, here’s to 2020, the year of being braver.