This morning I posted on Instagram, five things you can gift yourself as a freelancer this Valentine’s Day.

After I posted, one of them really stuck with me. It was number 5: permission.

Now, at 3.30, it’s stuck with me so long I decided to expand on it for a short and sweet V-day newsletter.

The original post said Permission: Permission to be you, without judgement from anyone else!

And the expansion is this… that on Valentine’s Day, you give yourself permission to run your business your way, to win, to lose, to succeed, to fail.

Permission to be smug about freelancing! Permission to not love freelancing all the time. Permission to not feel like you’re always getting it right.

Permission to self-judge and to forgive.

Permission to want to give up - and to want to charge forward.

Permission to cry, to shout, scream or curse… and permission to laugh, grin and throw your arms in the air when something goes right.

Permission to unfollow the people who don’t serve your mental health. Permission to accept that others will do the same to you.

In this freelance life, we battle our own emotions every day. We rarely pat ourselves on the back, or pause to accept praise. We are often busy racing on to the next moment.

So, finally, here’s the last permission: To stop, to breathe, and to take time off if you need it.

Happy V-day, freelance friends

Jenny

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