“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” — e.e. cummings

As a survivor of domestic violence–and someone who has battled low self-esteem issues for years–I’m always amazed when I receive emails or comments (from readers, clients, and editors) on how confident I am. So, how have I built up my self-confidence? How have I found the courage to sell my writing services?

I haven’t really followed a specific recipe or any certain ritual for gaining confidence—it’s just kind of developed and flourished as I’ve moved forward on the freelance path. I put my thinking cap on, though, and have reflected on what has brought me to where I am today….

7 Keys to Building Confidence

1. Faith. Above all, my faith is what has brought me this far. It’s because of my beliefs, my prayer life, and my joy-filled heart that I’ve found the strength, the inspiration, the dedication, and the passion to keep going—even when I’ve felt like giving up or things didn’t look good.
2. Practice. Remember the old phrase “practice makes perfect”? It is so true. Write, write, write. The more you write, the more you’ll write. It’s a vicious cycle. Seriously. And as you continue writing and writing, you’ll end up building your confidence in the process.
3. Persistence. Maybe I should have said “dedication”. If you’re dedicated and persistent in what you do, you’ll eventually achieve your goals. I most certainly am persistent.I’ve often laughed while saying “I may be a turtle, but the tortoise won the race!” It may take a while, but if you’re consistent with your writing, your queries, your book proposals (whatever), you’ll get where you’re going. Just keep at it!
4. Blogging. If you’ve never started a blog, it can be terrifying but I’m convinced blogging has improved my confidence. Why? Because of the positive feedback, of course! The emails and comments I receive bring me to tears they’re so beautiful, heartfelt, and encouraging! On days I feel like caving and calling it quits, I dig through some of those positive notes and it doesn’t take long to feel the motivation kick in!
5. Social Media. Like blogging, social media has its place, in my opinion. Why? Because you have the amazing opportunity to carry on conversations with people from all over the world in real-time. It’s crazy and fascinating all at once! As you begin to open up to the world and show them who you are, and find that they are very accepting of your mishaps and very praising of your accomplishments, you’ll almost feel like you’re in Kindergarten again with a big ole smile on your face, so proud of yourself for making new friends. It works. Trust me.
6. Exercise. This really works too, folks. From walking to rebounding to my latest love affair with yoga, I find when I make the time to get in some exercise (especially when fresh air’s involved!) I think more clearly and feel more refreshed and confident.
7. Listen. This is where a lot of people fail—and not just freelancers. It’s hard to listen but taking instruction can carry you a lot farther down the path to success than if you ignore the wisdom of others and traipse along blindly. Case in point: Close your mouth, open your ears, and listen. The wisdom you’ll gain will not only help you build your confidence, it will help you build character.

Two Bonus Tips:

A retired school teacher/author once told me: “Michele, you’ll face a lot of rejection. Just accept it and move on.“ I have followed her advice and no matter how sad it made me and how bad my heart ached when my work has been turned down, I’ve accepted it as part of the freelance writing journey, and I have absolutely moved on.

Of course, I can’t leave out the fact that I have a strong support system. Not everyone has that. I realize I am truly blessed. But I still believe (with all my heart!) if you’ll apply the above steps to your freelance life, you’ll find confidence you never knew you had!

Photo Credit:
svilen001