What are the three most important abilities for freelancing?

I have been paying attention to this issue for a long time. My income outside of work is twice as much as my salary, so even if I quit my job, I can barely become a freelancer.

In my understanding, many freelancers gradually develop their side jobs into their own careers, and then quit their jobs to start freelancing. So, as a freelancer, I think the following three abilities have the greatest impact on individuals.

1. Stress resistance

Many people in the workplace want to resign and become freelancers. They feel that freelancers can go to work whenever they want and go out to play whenever they want. Time and space are free. If you have such thoughts, I advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible.

If you can't bear the pressure of the workplace, then I don't recommend you to do freelance work, otherwise you may not even be able to support yourself.

I know a friend who relied on writing to become a freelancer. Before that, she was already the editor-in-chief of a new media company - her income was stable and her pressure was not bad. But she resigned to become a freelancer because she saw the popularity and development space of freelance writers. Moreover, her writing ability was still there and she could return to the workplace at any time.

But she was still complaining some time ago that she was under a lot of pressure, which is actually normal. Freelancing sounds nice, but is actually very difficult to do. You need to be the product, business, operation and executor by yourself. You do everything yourself and don't talk about it. You have to eat the last meal without finishing the next meal. You can imagine how much pressure you have to endure.

So, as a freelancer, you must first have a strong heart and be able to independently bear the consequences of everything.

2. Learning ability

If you have surveyed people who work as freelancers, you will definitely find that more than 80% of them have unique abilities in one aspect.

I know a micro-businesswoman who earns tens of thousands a month, and she is particularly good at dividing her fans through human greed, thereby expanding her agency team and profits. Her ability is very rare even in any company. According to her own words, these skills and techniques were gained through her own exploration and step-by-step learning from others.

Similarly, there are many people around me who achieve freelance work through writing. It can be said that many of them did not have much writing foundation a year or two ago, but through taking classes on their own and practicing deliberately, they gradually mastered the skill of writing, so that they can make a living by writing articles and earning royalties.

Being a freelancer means that you have to be exposed to a lot of knowledge and experience that you have not had in the workplace, which requires continuous personal learning. Freelancers are like a micro-enterprise, with fierce competition. If you don't learn, others are learning, which means you are regressing. Then it will be relatively more difficult for you to do a good job.

Therefore, learning ability must be one of the most important abilities in freelancing.

3. Self-management ability

The most feared thing about freelancing is complete freedom.

Real freelancers are actually highly self-disciplined, and they often work harder and more focused than many professionals.

You can imagine that if a freelancer really eats and drinks every day, he will soon be in trouble because there is no source of income.

Freelancing is just like running a business. Self-management qualities such as hard work and concentration are indispensable.

So, before you want to become a freelancer, first evaluate whether you can do the above points. If not, then start with a side job.

Author: Xiaoqiang - WeChat public account: Xiaoqiang Workplace Talk, head of startup company operations. If you have the resources and I have the traffic, you are welcome to tease me.