How to start closing the gap between your potential and what you actually achieve.
It would be nice to think that the most talented writers and copywriters were also the most successful financially.
But that isn’t the case.
There are plenty of very talented freelancers who struggle to make ends meet. And there are people with less talent who go on to become millionaires.
So what is that all about?
At one level, much of the difference can be attributed to how well one markets one’s freelance business. Good marketing can certainly make up for a lesser degree of talent. And poor marketing can lead to poor outcomes for even the most talented writers and copywriters.
But the issue of marketing, although important, is more of a symptom than a cause.
There is something a lot deeper that creates the gap between the potential you have, in terms of talent, and the financial results you achieve.
Different people describe this in a variety of different ways. Here are three terms commonly used, all of which point, more or less, towards the same underlying issues.
- Self-limiting beliefs
- Bottlenecks
- Constraints
Here is an example of a self-limiting belief: “Nobody in my family ever made more than $50,000 a year, so why should it be any different for me?”
And a bottleneck: “I don’t believe in outsourcing. I would rather maintain complete control of every aspect of my business.”
And a constraint: “I don’t feel comfortable blowing my own horn.”
There are some differences between self-limiting beliefs, bottlenecks and constraints, but they all have two things in common.
1. They will hold you back and limit your success.
2. They all come from inside yourself.
Be very aware of that second point. Many freelancers blame external factors as the principal cause of their limited success. But most of the time, those limits are the result of factors that are not external, but internal.
So how do you deal with this? How can you achieve your full potential, without limits?
There is no one answer that can be applied to every freelancer. We are all different, we all have different potential and we all carry different kinds of baggage.
But here is a very important first step. Ask yourself these questions:
1. What are my own self-limiting beliefs?
2. What bottlenecks have I created in my freelance business?
3. What are the constraints I put on my own success?
If you find yourself having trouble answering these questions, get some help and input from trusted friends or family members.
If you think that any of the questions don’t apply to you, think again. However successful you become, there will always be some remaining self-limiting beliefs, bottlenecks and constraints.
And here is another tip. Don’t just scribble the questions and answers down on a sheet of paper. If you do, you’ll lose it or file it.
For myself, I have these questions written down in a Word document. And I look at the document several times a month. I strike through issues I think I have addressed and add more answers as and when I think of them.
For me, this isn’t a simple question and answer list. It has become a way of working for me, and a way to move forward. I am always trying to identify the ways in which I hold myself back and limit my own success.
Dealing with this is a work in progress. We are all a work in progress.
Finally, if you need more help than you can get from the people around you, talk to me about my coaching service.
Sometimes, to address the most important issues on the inside, it helps to have someone looking in from the outside.
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