In a previous post, I have linked and discussed a video from Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal, where he and Steven Bartlett talk about the mindset frameworks needed for success. In this post, I would like to reflect on how freelancing has worked out for me as a disabled woman, and my own mindset that has helped me find contentment.
My Experience with Disability and Freelancing
I have been working as a freelancer for a while now, and I consider myself deeply satisfied with my career. I was born with a gratitude gene, and as far as my memory goes, I have always been a grateful person. Thus, my typical day encompasses me feeling happy and grateful about a multitude of things. So, I hadn't really given enough thought to my career or life satisfaction as a separate issue to analyze all the factors at play. This partly stems from my belief that every individual's path is unique and my understanding of what works for me may not extend to someone else or be applicable in another situation.
I also did not set out to become a freelancer. I have always juggled multiple life roles all my life, most of which demanded significant amount of engagement (as opposed to nominal roles). It actually took me many years to realize I was working on various kinds of projects for free when I could get paid for them. When I start getting paid projects, then I discovered I was doing something called 'freelancing.'
Recently, I got to reflecting on my career satisfaction, as a way of offering some meaningful insights to others who might want to know more about freelancing as a career when you have chronic illness or disability. I would say that my career satisfaction framework aligns with the principles outlined by Steven Bartlett and Ali Abdaal in the talk I mentioned in my previous post. I want to expand upon these frameworks below to explain how they resonate with my experience, especially in the context of being a person who is managing a freelancing business with chronic pain and disability.
Challenge is Important
Working for myself allows me to select projects that not only interest me but also push my limits. I focus on projects that are incrementally challenging (depending on my ongoing health situation) and stimulating. For example, I get to learn new legal jargon from a legal editing task, while writing an essay on a psychology topic lets me explore the human mind. Helping an author with their research often sends me down amazing rabbit holes, while creating educational materials for children and schools lets me explore pedagogy in the context of neuroscience and psychology.
Living with chronic pain successfully requires careful energy management. Pacing. I am not greedy, and I don't bite off more than I can chew. Each assignment is an opportunity to grow, but I must take care not to tip into 'overwhelm'. I have achieved the balance that is needed for my family, personal life, work and health. And I take on interesting projects that teach me new things and help me push my boundaries of knowledge and skills.
My Progress Principle
I celebrate small victories, which helps me to stay motivated. Improving the quality of my work with every project is a win. Growing my client base is another, although I believe in having a small but long-term clientele. Living with a disability means that progress might sometimes be slower or very different from the mainstream perspective, but it is meaningful to me. There are days when chronic pain might make any forward motion seem monumental. Each completed project or skill enhancement is a triumph that I cherish. I am discerning about my clients, making sure I collaborate with people who see the value I bring to the table and respect me for it. I am choosy about my projects, taking on only those I can do justice to. I regularly work on reskilling, cross-skilling and upskilling, and that is progress too.
Subjective Meaning: Goal/Purpose
Purpose takes on an important dimension and a different flavor, when living with disability. I have always recognized the sense of alignment between work and values as something that I cannot compromise on. In fact, I have always considered the sweet spot of work happiness as an alignment of the tasks, skills, personal values, and aptitude.
I’ve worked hard to rebuild my life from 10 gap years of disability and built a career that reflects my passion for education, mental health, science and technology, and creative expression. It aligns with my innate aptitude as well as my interests in the skills I want to develop. This alignment makes my work more meaningful and helps me get through the days when physical discomfort otherwise threatens to kill my motivation.
When I started freelancing as a profession, I tried to think of my purpose—my 'why.' I was doing so many different disparate kinds of things; doing them well for sure, but I didn't have a unifying purpose. After giving it much thought, I realized that so far, I had been thinking of the purpose in terms of fields of work or fields of study. That is how I had been brought up to think.
I realized that my sense of purpose was a more overarching mission statement than a passion for any particular line of work. I understood that my desire has always been helping someone solve a problem, feel happier or better, or get better at something. Thus, Eniokos was born, where my work is about helping someone with a challenge they are facing. The purpose my colleagues feel may be different, but this is my 'why.'
Autonomy and Control
For someone managing physical health which can be best described as capricious, autonomy is invaluable. In addition to that, I manage a household with a child and an elderly person. I frequently travel to take care of my elderly parents. I have a rich network of local and distant friends whom I help out in different ways that require time and effort. I share my food with a friend or have a friend over at meal, nearly 50% of the time. Needless to say, 9 to 5 is not for me. Living with chronic pain has taught me the importance of boundaries and self-care. Freelancing allows me to live life on my terms.
Both Bartlett and Abdaal emphasize the importance of control over one’s work, and freelancing gives me exactly that. I decide my working hours, methods, and environment. This flexibility enables me to adapt my schedule to my energy levels. I can ensure that I can deliver quality work while taking care of my well-being. I price my work according to the value I offer, and my clients give me repeat business because I work meticulously, going the extra mile. I get most of my work through recommendations, and am able to save my time and energy by not needing to be on social media, LinkedIn, or writing cold pitches. This is an important freedom that I deeply appreciate.
Supportive Community
I work with a small team, have a supportive family, and also have a strong kinship network. This is a network of extremely supportive and loving friends, that extends beyond the biological family, but functions somewhat like it. We share work, resources, celebrate wins, and provide support during tough times. I can not only discuss family, life, problems, joys and sorrows, but also philosophy, technology, science, psychology, education, politics, cuisine, movies, music, books and myriad other things with my inner circle, which is something not everyone has in their life.
In this aspect, I tend to believe that being a woman has been a huge advantage for me as it allows easy access to the support system called sisterhood. Women's kinship provides collective resilience, mentorship chains, and mutual support.
"Play"
Ali Abdaal’s “Play” framework is another aspect I definitely understand and agree with. I approach my projects with curiosity and as a learning opportunity. I find my work 'fun.' Disability and illness don't constrict my arena of play. I know how to make a bouquet with the flowers that life gives me. I am a lifelong learner at heart, and I like to dabble with different subjects and interests. From spirituality to nanotechnology, I get to explore it all, thanks to my projects. And I get paid for it.
Career Success vs Career happiness
It appears from many motivational books and videos, and from the society's inputs, that these are equivalent. They are not.
Your career success, as per the world view, most likely depends on the external, visible, tangible aspects, which can be often measured in terms of money, metrics, or lifestyle. Succeeding in career requires the external aspects like productivity, intelligence, creativity, smart hard work, planning, time management, revenue, growth, and so on.
Career happiness is an internal concept, that requires internal growth, emotional maturity, purposeful living and working, alignment of values and work, contentment, stable and fulfilling relationships, breaking free from societal parameters, self-compassion, self-care, self-discipline, equanimity in face of wins and losses, true self-confidence, and fearless introspection.
Takeaways for Freelancing with Disability
If you’re disabled and considering freelancing, it’s important to:
Raise the bar for your skills, but stay mindful of your capacity.
Even small wins matter.
Choose meaningful work that aligns with your values and aptitude. You can keep expanding your skills, but you must like the direction first.
Instead of taking on multiple projects with mediocre outcomes, try to price your work at par with the value you offer, and make each project worth your while in terms of money and worthwhile for the client too in terms of quality.
Pacing is important, as every chronically ill person knows. Take regular breaks and manage your workload to avoid burnout.
Build and lean on a supportive community of colleagues, friends, or other freelancers.
Work on developing the external life and career, but also work on the internal, mental aspects, to achieve true career "happiness."
Finally, I would say that being disabled already puts you on a path less trodden. If you start a freelancing business, you are walking an uncharted course, that is unique to your situation, abilities, and opportunities. You can use these ideas, but eventually, the framework that will work will be yours, customized to you. I found a career that is sustainable and personally rewarding, and so can you.
Check these out
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. By purchasing through these links, you help support our content at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
