Avoid the Freelancer Whinge Trap

Unprofessionalism is never a good look

If you take a look around some freelancer forums and Facebook groups these days, you might think that we are all doomed. There’s a lot of negativity and complaining about clients paying low rates or bad job portals exploiting poor freelancers.

It’s easy to get sucked into the mire of endless complaining because, after all, a good rant can make us all feel better. But it is important to bear in mind that everything you post online can be read by your colleagues and clients, and too much negativity and complaining will cast a negative light on your profession as a whole and be very counterproductive.

The truth is that the things lamented will indeed apply to some freelancers— those who like to stay within their comfort zone and complain rather than take action. Those who see themselves as victims rather than independent micro business owners. Those who take a passive rather than an active approach. What you see on forums is the tips of a huge iceberg. And the vast majority of freelancers are content with their income and occupation and make a decent living from their work. They don’t complain, they just get on with it and learn from their mistakes.

Successful freelancers are not genetically predisposed to be happy or look only on the bright side of life. Instead, they realise that the solutions to the ups, downs, bounties and challenges of life as a freelancer are in their hands, and their hands alone; they buckle down, refuse to whinge and get on with the job. It’s sometimes a slow journey, full of twists and turns, and there are occasional setbacks as well as lucky breaks, but there is no going back, and certainly no looking for outside sources on which to blame all our woes.

Further reading:

‘Everyone’s watching. A few thoughts on online (professional?) behavior.’ blog post by Allison Klein