Read the Mind of an Independent Contractor

It's been over a year since I started my freelance career. The only regret I have in my decision was starting out later in my life. I could have started it couple of years ago.

The reason why I left the corporate world was because I felt I no longer belong. I was unhappy, bored, and tired. I was unproductive. It would be unfair if I stayed being a useless employee to a good company. I was seeking for something else that would give me that sense of pride and joy. While money was important, it wasn't the motivating factor of making that career move.

I find joy being an independent contractor. Though there are some challenges along the way, I feel it is bearable because I love what I do and there is no reason for me to go back to corporate.

For those who consider taking the path of a freelancer, let me share some thoughts that could help you decide to give this career a try.

• Time is money. Freelancers look at time with a price value. You see, as freelancers, we are being paid per hour, not per day. Every project or job awarded to a contractor has equivalent time and money. Every time we sit on our computers to work on our projects, we make sure to spend our time wisely. We simply can't afford to play around or be idle during our working hours because that is going to hurt us big time. It is going to disrupt our productivity, which is equivalent to our time and money.
• Freelancers build reputation. As independent contractors, we take pride in doing our projects. Hence, we build our portfolio and we show off the feedbacks of our previous clients/employers. Freelancers understand the value of every projects. We make sure to provide quality service or deliverables at timely manner.
• Attentive to opportunities. Freelancers do not sit on their desk waiting for an opportunity or job proposal to come in. We diligently seek for it. Having a good project right now doesn't mean you can be complacent.
• Freelancer is a solopreneur. A solopreneur is a one-man company. Think of freelancing as a service-oriented business. And you are the entrepreneur and at the same time you do the marketing, customer service and deliver the service. You can also hire other freelancers if you want to build a team.

There is no job that is too easy. Freelancing also requires hard work. What's good about this career is the time flexibility and location independence. You can choose to work at your own time. If you think you work better at night, then so be it. You can also work anywhere you choose, just make sure you have the internet connection and a working mobile phone.

Mashable published this Inside the Mind of a Freelancer [INFOGRAPHIC] last June 22 (my birthday!)

The infographic shows that new freelancers shows an 8.2 on a 10-point scale likelihood of accepting traditional employment. However, the longer you stay in freelancing, the more likely you are going to stay on the career.

Regardless of what our job is right now, if you have the heart or the passion to it, there is no doubt you are going to stay there longer if not forever. Yeah, money is important but sometimes there are things that even money can't afford. What's essential is for us to be happy on what we are doing. Success and the sense of accomplishment will certainly follow when you are doing what you believe you should do.