Newsletter #16 - Why Creating Good Habits Is Essential For Your Business - Mighty Freelancer

Hey everyone,

I’ve had a few conversations this week with writers who are finding it challenging to overcome some of the mental roadblocks that are stopping them getting ahead.

In truth, these feelings of resistance and discomfort never entirely go away for us as freelancers — we just learn to manage them better over time whenever they show up.

For example…

After 7 years, I still find it really hard to hit send on client proposals. But also, I like money — so I have to work through these feelings of resistance every single time.

I’ll literally stare at my screen for ages — wondering if I’ve priced things too high…not priced them high enough…offered enough value… or nailed exactly what the client needs after our initial call.

And…what if I notice a typo after I hit send 😱

* Cue a whole lot of second-guessing and overthinking *

Every freelance writer has something they’re uncomfortable with in their business.

So whatever that looks like for you – just know that you’re not alone!

The important thing to remember is that our discomfort zones are where we often find the most growth in our business.

Getting uncomfortable, acknowledging mindset problems, pushing through them, and being ready for whatever happens next are all deeply important parts of freelancing.

Here’s a quick rundown of some of the traits of successful solo business owners:

Intention

You need to be intentional about defining your overall goals, identifying what you need to do to reach them, and then breaking this down into small, manageable steps you can take each day to move forward.

In his book The Compound Effect, author Darren Hardy talks about how making lots of small, smart daily choices can eventually help us reap huge rewards.

The most challenging aspect of this is that we have to keep working consistently on these before we begin to see the payoff.

So if you’re pitching clients or creating social media content but you feel like you’re not getting anywhere yet – please keep going!

Forethought

This is your ability to choose the right steps you need to take to achieve your goals, take action on these steps, and anticipate the outcomes.

The more action you take towards achieving your goals, the better you can predict the outcomes, learn what works for you, avoid problems, and double down on what’s working.

For example

If you waste hours on social media every day, but you also need to urgently find better clients, you’ll need to figure out a way to control your time and emotions in places like Twitter and LinkedIn.

Try out different strategies until you find one that works.

This could include staying away from your newsfeed, blocking people who drain your energy, or creating curated lists to connect quickly and effectively with people who might hire you — instead of scrolling aimlessly into the void and feeling frustrated.

Self regulation

This is your capacity to monitor and check your emotions, behavior, motivators, and productivity levels as you take all of the above steps to reach your goals.

While you don’t have power over outside events, you do have power over how you react to them.

The better you get at learning to successfully and calmly navigate setbacks, rejections, and ongoing things like outreach and marketing for your business — the easier it will be for you to get where you want to go.

Backing yourself

You need to believe 100% in your own ability to make your business work.

This isn’t about being an introvert, battling with imposter syndrome, or feeling anxious or overwhelmed (all of which are pretty normal!).

I’m talking about finding and nurturing the deep, unshakeable belief that you have everything you need inside you to become a successful freelancer — and you’re going to darn-well figure out a path to make it happen, whatever it takes, and whatever setbacks you might experience along the way.

Find your community

It’s *really* difficult to run a business alone. All the successful freelancers I know have either found or created support networks online so they don’t feel isolated, and so they can share ideas and experiences with other people on the same journey.

If you can’t find any communities to join – start your own. It’s as easy as opening a Slack channel or Facebook group and inviting some other freelance writers in there with you.

Your network will help you stay motivated, give you fresh ideas, help you overcome problems, point you in the direction of helpful resources, lift you up when times are tough, and celebrate your wins with you.

Coming up in the next emails…

Awesome DIY personal branding on a budget – is it possible?
Why you need to consider niching, and which ones are the most lucrative
More email takeovers! I’ll be handing the reigns over to two experts who’ll be digging deeper into overcoming mindset issues, and how to send out successful cold pitch emails

Learn some new stuff this week!

Content OS – After writing weekly emails to you since January, I’ve had the painful realization that I need to get a lot better with my content planning process.

As an example…I am writing this email the day after it was scheduled to send out 🤦‍♀

I’m currently working my way through this course so I can figure out an easier way to consistently write good content for newsletters and social, without it taking all day. It’s given me a ton of new ideas even though I’m only halfway through.
CopyHackers – Copy School is now closed until 2025, but Joanna Wiebe has just released some of her trainings individually – starting from $25.

If you want to get better at copywriting for your niche, you can jump straight into trainings for things like conversion copywriting, emails, writing with AI, website copy, ad copy, and brand voice.
The War of Art – I constantly recommend book this to other writers, so I’m dropping the link in here if you haven’t read it!

It lays out why we experience things like procrastination and resistance, why we need to tune into these feelings, and how to get unstuck.
Write On – this is a free twice-weekly newsletter packed with super helpful tips to improve your copywriting skills, generate better results from ChatGPT, learn the psychology behind high-converting copy, and more.