How to Cope with Naysayers in Your Freelance Writing Job Search

Anytime someone makes a choice to do make a change in their life, it attracts the attention of naysayers. You don’t need to look very far to find someone who is only too willing to tell you that you aren’t going to be able to succeed at whatever goal you have set for yourself.

I think part of the naysayer mentality is that when someone wants to make a change, it shakes up the quo. There definitely is pressure to conform when people are in any type of a group setting. A person who announces that they want to do start any kind of a business venture, including freelance writing, is definitely stepping out of their own comfort zone.

They are also making the people around them a bit uncomfortable, too. They may be feeling envious of the person who is making this choice or they may be projecting their own fears onto the freelancer by asking about how the new freelancer is going to find clients or pay their bills. They may even belittle the freelancer’s career choice. (I’ve had people refer to what I do as my “little hobby.”)

There will always be people in your circle of family, friends and acquaintances who won’t get what you do. They may point to the supposed security of working for an employer as opposed to working for yourself. There is no security in having a job. If the company is going through difficult economic times, you may be laid off no matter how well you did your job.

At some point you need to put on blinders to what other people are saying to you about your choices. You can choose to consider what they have to say if you like, but if it doesn’t provide you with encouragement or something that you can use to help you reach your goals, just put that person on ignore.

If you are feeling gracious, thank them for their concern but tell them that you have whatever it is covered. Then get busy and do what you need to do to make your career what you want it to be.

Either the naysayers will be quiet or you’ll be far too busy to think about them anyway.

Comments

6 responses
  1. Katherine Eion Avatar
    Katherine Eion

    I completely agree…I think what shocked me the most was discovering just how many ‘naysayers’ I have in my life, including my own kids! For example, I have been considering getting a new laptop, for different reasons, one of which is I could work just about anywhere. When I mentioned this to a ‘friend’ her very snide comment was that I needed to ‘worsry about my bills first’. I am a responsible human being, I know my priorities…but can’t a girl dream?

  2. Stephanie Mojica Avatar

    Great post!

    “Mastering your psychology” is key to success in any area of your life and is especially important in a competitive, creative field like freelance writing.

    Sadly, sometimes people are just plain negative. I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) to tune them out or in some cases, cut them out entirely.

    If you master your psychology and don’t let naysayers cut into your enthusiasm, you WILL succeed.

    Stephanie

  3. Tammi Kibler Avatar

    I like to have a stash of questions ready. People love to talk about themselves and when I am most adept I am able to flip the conversation back on a naysayer and avoid feeling defensive.

    1. Granny Omaha Avatar
      Granny Omaha

      That is a great idea!

  4. Zahra Brown Avatar

    “There is no security in having a job. If the company is going through difficult economic times, you may be laid off no matter how well you did your job. ”

    I said the same thing just yesterday. You can work darn hard, but they’ll still let you go because you’re too old, inexperienced, the last to come, etc.

    An employee being fired means their salary drops from $$$$ to 0. When the self-employed loses a client, that’s all they’ve lost. They (should) already have others lined up so their income is the same as usual, possibly a bit more or less, but definitely not 0.

    I had 3 naysayers recently, and you’re absolutely right about the jealousy front. They’ve done nothing with their lives so far, and tried to convince me to return to the rat race. I was tempted, but I’m glad I didn’t give in.

  5. Samantha Dias Avatar

    Great article. So true! 🙂 Thanks, Jodee!

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