Inspiration for improving your freelance writing business can often be found in your own life experiences.
For instance, where I live, summer means concerts in the park, walks on the beach…and all-comer’s track meets.
That’s right, people of all ages come out and run races at the high school track — short ones, long ones, hurdles, relays. The evening begins with the 100-yard dash for ages 3 and under.
If you’ve never seen 3-year-olds run a race…it’s beautiful.
Watching my 9-year-old daughter win four different races in an evening…I’m doubtful life will get much better.
The track meets also remind me so much of the freelance writing life. Here are five key insights I took away from a recent meet:
- Focus on what you’re doing. Ever notice what happens when a kid starts worrying about what’s happening with the other runners on the track? They start to look around them to see who is maybe coming to catch them — and immediately slow down. To go your fastest, you have to tune out the competition and just run your best race. Put on the blinders, fix your gaze on that finish line, and give it all you got. Then, no matter where you place, you know you did the best you could.
- Sometimes there will be hurdles. The track isn’t always empty. Sometimes you’ll encounter an obstacle and have to vault over it. That may slow you down a little — or a lot. You may be scared to take the leap. But you can’t get where you want to go unless you muster your courage and hoist yourself over them.
- When you fall, the only thing to do is get back up. Nobody loves the coward who crawls off the track mid-race because they’ve tripped up and can’t face the embarrassment. But the crowd will be on their feet cheering if you show you’ve got the character to carry on despite your setbacks. Everybody loves a comeback story.
- Competition pushes you to excel. We all know we run slower by ourselves, and faster with a dozen other runners on our heels. Get to know the top writers in your niche, and reach their work. Then, instead of being jealous, use it as motivation to push yourself harder.
- You’re a winner if you show up and finish. You don’t have to finish first to be a winner, in track or in writing. It’s about the heart and persistence you bring to your task. In the longer races, sometimes one child would approach the finish line long after the others had gone, always to wild applause and shouts of encouragement from the spectators. Writing may be lonely, but if you keep on going, you’re going to find the acclaim you seek, sooner or later.
What have you learned about freelance writing from your life? Leave a comment and let us know.
