Alex Williams

When I started freelancing, I had a huge list of goals (fridays off, working from home, …) and one clear objective: to build some really cool web applications while improving my own quality of life.

Things started off really well. Business was booming. Clients were satisfied, I was enjoying my time off and the work was worth every penny. It was a dream which you couldn’t pull me away from.

Well, a dream it was. What I didn’t fully understand – and it didn’t take long to figure out – was that I was the one and only person who could mess with that dream. I was the only one who could alter it, and I did.

I took the time to review my mistakes as a freelancer and I realized something very important. Along the road, I had forgotten my primary objective. I had set myself up for destruction by disobeying my own goals and desires. I accepted projects which shouldn’t have been accepted. I started working on more fridays than I wanted. I set unrealistic financial goals, and I completely forgot to plan for worst.

All these business books talk about having a vision, being a dreamer, making grand plans and becoming successful… what they forget to mention is that you actually have to FOLLOW THROUGH. I know it sounds obvious, but when was the last time you reviewed your original business/life/social objective?

When you’re the sole-proprietor of your business, no matter if your title is freelancer, consultant, or entrepreneur, you have to constantly remind yourself why you started in the first place. The most important thing is knowing WHY you’re doing what you’re doing. If you forget that, if you stop planning, if you stop dreaming, if you stop being meticulous about filing receipts, if you don’t remember to take your fridays off, to spend time with your family, to work on your actual business project (primary objective), then you’ll ultimately end up in the wrong place. A dream that wasn’t necessarily yours. Maybe even a nightmare. Ok ok i’m pushing it. It’s not that bad lol. But seriously, it’s something to think about.

So what is your objective? Do you remember? Are you still going in the right direction?