Picture this…
You’re a freelancer or independent consultant. You’re paying the bills, you have no debt (except for a very manageable mortgage payment) and for the past several months you’ve had a run of good business.
In other words, you’re “comfortable”.
Sounds great, right? Don’t be fooled. If you’re a freelancer, this is the most dangerous scenario imaginable.
Why is being comfortable so dangerous?
As a freelancer, when we’re making decent money and feeling little pressure, it becomes too easy and enjoyable to “go with the flow.”
With all the bills paid up, and no immediate need to bring in more business, we can become undisciplined. We start to sleep in an extra hour or two.
We also lose focus. We spend a little more time each day surfing around on Facebook, emailing friends and generally wasting time.
Tony Robbins calls being comfortable the “death rattle” for your personal finances! Why? No outside pressure to work harder and make more money.
In other words, when we have enough money to experience a certain level of comfort, we tend to get lazy.
We don’t pick up the phone and call clients. We don’t send out sales letters, and we stop thinking about creative ways to find new business.
A little bit of hunger goes a long way
Throughout my freelance career, I personally have experienced periods of comfort and periods of downright desperation!
I have to say, it’s those dark periods that drove me to work harder, smarter, and continue marketing my business.
And, thankfully, the impact of those tougher times gave me an appreciation to “stay hungry” mentally so as not to get lazy when it comes to marketing my business.
So if you’re in a period of “hunger” right now, recognize it for the blessing that it is!
Hunger is a great motivator, and it’s from this period of turbulence that you’re likely to find the inspiration and motivation to take a big leap forward in your business.
Yes it’s tempting, when you’re hungry, to focus on what you’re lacking in your life. But recognize that you actually have it easier than you would if everything about your business (and your bank account) was roses and sunshine – because financial desperation is all the reason you need to work harder and push yourself to a level of performance you never imagined possible.
Here’s something you can take to the bank… while the comfortable among us are sleeping in, the hungry are working on their next big effort to aggressively market their business.
Have you come out the other side?
If you’ve made it through the dark hours in your business… what were some of the things you did – when your back was really against the wall – to turn things around?
Pete Savage is co-editor of The Wealthy Freelancer. Direct Mail Secrets for Freelancers is a FREE 45-minute teleseminar for subscribers to Pete’s SAVAGE Marketing newsletter. Sign up for free at http://www.savagemarketing.com/.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I learned from Dan Kennedy to fight this tendency to relax during the good times.
He made it a practice to do at least one thing everyday before his head hit the pillow to cultivate new business. The activity could’ve been simply sending an article of interest to a potential client.
He just made the deal with himself that he’d take one action that would move him forward.
One of the ways I exercised this mindset early in my life was when I was fundraising. While we had built up an amazing house list we had to daily do something to fill the pipeline with new donors. Or at least get on the radar of new donors.
Attrition always happens in a list so if you’re doing just one thing every single day whether it be sending a fax, an email or a letter you’re keeping momentum working in your favor.
And this practice has continued to work for me to this day with my writing. Before I go to bed, I make sure I’ve written and/or studied copywriting for at least an hour.
Stephen King said “There’s only two ways to get better at writing. Read and write.” I’ve taken his advice to heart and done something everyday there and also combined this with whole social media and marketing or my business too.
Love the topic Pete,
Talk to you soon,
Note Taking Nerd #2
Great article Pete! It seems I tend to back off my marketing whenever I get comfortable. Then, when push comes to shove, I get going full-steam again and see incredible results. If I could hold that momentum throughout the year it would be amazing.
Wow, Pete! You hit so close to home today (my home anyway). I spent decades in the sweeps biz and, without really feeling the heat, I could never have enjoyed the success that I did. Fear … lust … dreams … a burning desire to have it all. All the way up the ladder and back down again — it’s amazing how motivating being in the discomfort zone can be. John Carlton signs off his emails with “Stay Frosty.” I prefer “Stay Hungry!” Thanks for your great article.
Pete,
Good reminder to always stay motivated to market, even if it’s just a trickle. You never want to lose that edge.
And when you do get “too comfortable” as you said, that edge can slip and pretty soon you get so comfortable that marketing becomes a little intimidating.
It’s really ironic how difficult many copywriters find it to market themselves. But it goes to show that “the most dangerous place in the world is your comfort zone.”
Thanks for the interesting post,
John Gamble