Recently, something unexpected happened. I shared on instagram (well, that’s not unexpected, I know). But I shared something that I love about freelancing - the fact that I don’t have to ask anyone for time off, or to check the office holiday rota.

I realised how much I talk about the struggles and challenges, but actually, not so much the triumphs and wins.

That moment of not having to check the holiday spreadsheet like I used to do when I was in a ‘staff job’ started me off thinking of more and more things I love about freelancing. Being able to pivot whenever I want. Being able to create new things. To start projects and perhaps dump them. To arrange lunch on a Thursday, and keep the receipt because it’s a business friend.

I love that I can walk the dogs when I want, that I can put a load of washing on during the day, that I can sit on the sofa after lunch and post to social media rather than being back at my desk so the boss sees me. (UGH).

It’s easy, in the middle of all the freelance MEH to forget the YAY things - the reasons why we went freelance, and the things that lured us into this crazy, unpredictable world. While we’re chasing invoices, or approaching potential new clients, it’s easy to forget that we’re doing it on our own schedule, with a pet nearby, without a commute and without someone messaging us on Slack to ask ‘where that copy is’. (Someone once messaged me on Slack when they were sitting next to me in an office. I know.)

I love the friendships I’ve made, my very own ‘work crowd’, the way being freelance is part of me, and I love saying ‘I’m self-employed’ to people I meet.

It’s easy to forget how much we love being able to do our own thing - create a new project, start a podcast or newsletter or go to an event or clock off early or… well, once you start, the list kind of won’t stop growing!

So this month, as the sun comes out and we hang the jubilee bunting, take a moment to hang the bunting for your freelance life, too.

Take a moment to remember what you love about freelancing, what your freelance ‘why’ is and what makes you feel, quite frankly, a bit smug to be self-employed!

If you want a boost to your freelance confidence, there’s a workshop on June 8th and tickets are just £5.

And if you’re in a happy freelance place, and thinking of planning, here’s a worksheet I’ve created - feel free to download and share it. The only thing I ask is you tell people where you got it from!

Read, Listen, Subscribe…

Read: Freelance life magazine is a new discovery for me - this article on finding work via Facebook groups is interesting.

Listen: The Freelance Feels podcast is back! It’s season 7, and my first guest is Sian Meades-Williams, founder of the Freelance Writing Jobs newsletter and author of ‘The Pyjama Myth’.

Subscribe: Postcard from Londonshire is all about moving from the city to the countryside - what does happen when you leave all your mates to move to the Cotswolds and get two puppies…?

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