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The biggest advantage of being a freelancer

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January 1, 2010. Delia is standing next to one
of her favourite cartoon characters
made of snow
Last year I wrote a post about advantages and disadvantages of being a freelancer. Now, as I am sitting by my daughter watching her sleeping and finishing another urgent assignment, I realized how blessed I really am. I can see how she's growing. I can spend time with her. I can take her home from the kindergarten right after lunch, not in the evening like most parents do. Every day we read or do some maths to prepare her for primary school. We can go outside and play in the first snow. We can watch her favourite cartoons together. All while people with 'normal' jobs are still at work. To me, this is the greatest advantage of being a freelancer. Yes, there are deadlines, taxes and Russian laws which are hard to figure out without some legal help, and sometimes I am not sure whether I'll be able to pay all the bills (but our awesome, amazing Lord helps us every single time), and I am working twice as much as I would work in any office now as I am trying to build a team of translators. But freelancing really helped me realize that all limits are actually in my mind, not somewhere outside! And I am learning to live without limits (not talking about moral values here). I have some great plans for this blog and for my career, and, what's more important, for my life.

What's your biggest motivation to develop your freelance business?
 
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  1. KatyaNov 10, 2011, 1:06:00 AM

    Same thing - being able to spend the time with my kids, to take care of them myself, to see them grow, and all that while doing what I love to do. That's my motivation and the reason I happily put up with this tough-tough-tough freelancing life :)

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  2. Olga TkachenkoNov 10, 2011, 8:40:00 AM

    The same in general. More time with my sons, no necessity to bother with sick leaves and nervous talks with bosses about the next illness of the child.
    Sometimes I don't bring my sons to kindergarten at all, in case I have little or no work. I think you can imagine who happy they are on such occasions!
    And now when my older son visits preschool, and the classes are at 4 pm, I feel all the advantages of freelancing. I just take my laptop with me and work while I'm waiting for him. Nearly all the other kids come with their grannies, not with mothers.

    And a lot more - this week I was able to meet with 3 friends for a business lunch, including one friend who I haven't seen for nearly 8 years!

    Taxes, bills, all the accounting problems, as well as advertising, search for clients are nothing compared to all the advantages of freelancing. And you are right, it must be the Lord who helps us.

    ReplyDelete
  3. MagdaNov 10, 2011, 11:47:00 AM

    Olga, my thoughts exactly! I love, love, love to be able to spend time with my kids and pick them up from nursery/school right after dinner. Work-life balance is so much easier when you are a freelancer. For me the second best thing about being your own boss is freedom. We travel a lot and I could never do that with a 8-hours-a-day schedule. Long live freelancing! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. ArnoutNov 10, 2011, 7:59:00 PM

    I should probably get married and have a child, so I can enjoy this advantage too :-) All the best to you and your family, Olga!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Olga ArakelyanNov 10, 2011, 9:19:00 PM

    Katya, Olga, Magda, thank you ladies! I knew you'd understand :)
    Arnout, I am sure you can think of a ton of other advantages of being a freelancer. And yes, a family is not only a responsibility, but also a huge blessing and a source of great fun! So I'd say go for it ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownDec 2, 2011, 11:21:00 AM

    I'm not completely on freelance now. My primary job is mechanical engineering, but I have side job as translator (through agencies), online commerce (not much income, but not bad). Recently I came to decision to force my side work and lift it to the top, since I really like translation work, like have some kind of 'freedom', like have enough time to spent with my son, wife and friends, to play music (I'm bass player), don't like to awake in 6:15 AM every morning, don't like stupid and dull work (which is common @ my primary job now). So I take decision to get out from my comfort-zone (as you wrote in another post). And your and others experience I learn is another motivation for doing so. Thanks

    ReplyDelete
  7. Olga ArakelyanDec 2, 2011, 8:32:00 PM

    Hi Boobaloo! Thank you for your comment! You can't imagine how happy I am that you find my blog helpful. I understand very well that leaving a 'normal' job can be a tough decision, but taking into account the state of economy in many countries I don't think there is such thing as a 'stable job' any more. It's good that you already have some source of side income. Besides, freelancing opens up a whole new world of opportunities for work and leisure, and spending more time with your family is one of the advantages. So I can only wish you good luck with your decision! :)

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