{"id":21629,"date":"2014-07-14T18:01:46","date_gmt":"2014-07-14T10:01:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=21629"},"modified":"2017-11-19T20:02:37","modified_gmt":"2017-11-19T12:02:37","slug":"freelancers-lack-of-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/freelancers-lack-of-support\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Cope With Lack Of Support For Your Freelancing Career"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the numbers in this Forbes article <\/a> are any indication, more and more people are embracing freelancing<\/a> as a source of livelihood<\/strong>. Although the article specifically referred to American freelancers, it\u2019s reasonable to extrapolate that the trend is the same the world over, since the Internet has pretty much leveled the playing field for these workers.<\/p>\n

However, this doesn\u2019t mean that unfortunate stereotypes about freelancers have abated. According to a survey conducted by Crunch Accounting <\/a>, 75 percent of freelancers claim that they aren\u2019t taken as seriously as larger businesses<\/strong>, because of misconceptions like \u201cfreelancers spend all of their time in their pajamas\u201d, \u201cfreelancing is for people who can\u2019t find full-time work\u201d, \u201cfreelancing is a stop-gap to a full-time career\u201d, and \u201cfreelancers aren\u2019t as reliable as agencies\/temps\u201d.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible that your family and friends may also hold these misconceptions<\/strong>, and act unsupportive towards you as a result. If that\u2019s the case, and it\u2019s frustrating you to the point that you\u2019re unable to function at work<\/a>, here are some ways to cope.<\/p>\n

Recommended Reading:<\/strong> Why Freelancers Are Saving The Internet<\/a><\/p>\n

Understand Where They\u2019re Coming From<\/h2>\n

If there\u2019s one emotion that makes your loved ones reluctant to support you, it\u2019s fear<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Maybe they\u2019re scared that you\u2019ll end up impoverishing yourself<\/strong>, since \u201csteady income\u201d and \u201cfreelancing\u201d don\u2019t go together. Maybe they don\u2019t want your borderline-obsessive devotion to your work to turn you into a stereotypical shut-in: dirty, disheveled, and completely unaware of the outside world. Maybe they\u2019re simply jealous that you get to tweak your schedule as it pleases you, whereas they have to slog it out in their 9-to-5 jobs.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/strong> Popular (But Bad) Freelancing Advice You Should Ignore<\/a><\/p>\n

Whatever the root of their fear is, you have to figure out what it is<\/strong> in order to\u2026<\/p>\n

Reassure Them<\/h2>\n

Once you figure out why they\u2019re afraid, the next step is to help them dissuade that fear<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

If it\u2019s your finances<\/strong> they\u2019re worried about, tell them that you have a well-thought out plan<\/strong> for the future. Don\u2019t just bluff about it; be sure that you actually have <\/em>a plan!<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/strong> 5 Ways To Make Passive Income For Freelance Designers<\/a><\/p>\n

If your social life (or lack thereof)<\/strong> is the issue, schedule at least an hour or two every day to go out<\/strong> and smell the flowers, so to speak. It\u2019s good not just for your health, but also for your loved ones\u2019 peace of mind.<\/p>\n

Read Also:<\/strong> Freelance Designers: How To Balance Your Work Life<\/a><\/p>\n

If they make snide remarks<\/strong> like \u201cMy, aren\u2019t you gaining a bit of weight from your comfortable work-at-home job?\u201d, your safest bet is to either brush those remarks aside and change the subject<\/strong>, or make a joke like \u201cWell, I may have doubled my waistline, but I\u2019ve also doubled my monthly income!\u201d<\/p>\n

Be warned, though: Jokes like the one above take a bit of skill to pull off, since you don\u2019t want to appear either too self-deprecating or too arrogant. It would also help to have a natural wit, an understanding of what makes the other person tick in a social setting, and a healthy level of self-confidence<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Be Clear About Your Boundaries<\/h2>\n

Sometimes, they\u2019ll say \u201cYeah, I\u2019m cool about your freelancing\u201d, but they\u2019ll also do things to you that inadvertently sabotage your career<\/strong> \u2013 whether they intend to or not.<\/p>\n

For example, they like to call you in the middle of work<\/a> just because you say that you have a \u201cflexible schedule\u201d. To deal with this, tell them that yes, in fact you do have a rigid schedule<\/a>, and as much as you appreciate them thinking about you during odd hours of the day, you\u2019d rather they call you at a certain time instead.<\/p>\n

Whatever you do, don\u2019t allow them to violate your boundaries<\/strong>. If you don\u2019t look like you\u2019re taking your work seriously, they\u2019re not going to take it seriously either.<\/p>\n

Get Them On Board With You (If They\u2019re Interested)<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s also possible that they\u2019ll be curious enough to ask you<\/strong> what freelancing is like.<\/a><\/p>\n

In this case, talk to them about it with as much detail and as much enthusiasm as you can<\/strong>. When they see how passionate you are about your work<\/a>, they might change their tune. They might even decide to become freelancers themselves \u2013 which is great, because you\u2019re all going to sail the same boat together!<\/p>\n

Accept The Reality<\/h2>\n

Then again, maybe not.<\/p>\n

Maybe, despite all your efforts to convince them otherwise, they\u2019ll steadfastly refuse to see freelancing as a legitimate career path<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Your best course of action, then, is to accept that they\u2019re like that, and keep doing your work to the best of your ability<\/strong>. If they ever ask you about your freelance work<\/a> in casual conversation, just say \u201cI\u2019m doing great\/fine\/fantastic!\u201d and abruptly change the subject. They obviously don\u2019t have anything good to say about it, so why bother encouraging that kind of conversation?<\/p>\n

All in all, the best recipe to help you deal with unsupportive loved ones \u2013 in our opinion, at least \u2013 is a pinch of empathy<\/strong>, a dash of self-respect,<\/strong> and a tablespoon of compromise<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

If you have any stories of your own to share on the matter, feel free to sound off in the comments section below.<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If the numbers in this Forbes article are any indication, more and more people are embracing freelancing as a source of livelihood. Although the article specifically referred to American freelancers, it\u2019s reasonable to extrapolate that the trend is the same the world over, since the Internet has pretty much leveled the playing field for these…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3401,3410],"tags":[2099],"topic":[4523,4521],"class_list":["entry-content","is-maxi"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Cope With Lack Of Support For Your Freelancing Career - Hongkiat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If the numbers in this Forbes article are any indication, more and more people are embracing freelancing as a source of livelihood. 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