Why freelancing can easily destroy your passion

I’ve been freelancing for quite a while now… well, trying to, at least, and doing a really bad job at it.

And while there are many advantages to being a freelancer, of which I’m sure you’re aware of, there are also a lot of disadvantages… of which I’m also sure you’re aware of. I mean, the amount of published articles talking about why being a freelancer is really hard is incredible! This is kind of another one though, but focused on one main topic — passion.

When I first decided to be a freelancer it was all about passion. That was the reason I started — I didn’t want to be stuck at a job I completely hated, wasting my time doing something I did not enjoy, just to get some money. I wanted to do what I liked!

And I did, for quite a while now! And it’s awesome! Sometimes.

Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy what I do! But the worst thing people don’t mention about freelancing, the biggest disadvantage, especially when you become a freelancer to focus on your passion, is the fact that unless you are TRULY passionate about that specific thing, unless you love doing it for 12 hours a day every day, you may, at some point (get ready for it) get bored of your passion.

If you’re really unlucky, you could even get to hate your passion after spending too much time doing only that specific thing.

And you’re probably wondering “well why the hell would that happen?” and the answer would be simple — doing one thing for too long can become tiring, boring and even annoying.

Combine that with the need to work for money, with the need to pay bills, to work with and for clients, to talk to all kind of people, and to pretty much do everything yourself, and you have a really stressful career that requires you to do the thing you once liked for hours and hours every day, even when you don’t want to, just to make some money.

Now, that doesn’t always happen, obviously. There are ways to create passive income and to not work like a madman. But until you get there, things can be quite rough, and you should be aware of that.

If you’re an artist and you draw to make money, as a freelancer, you may find yourself having to draw even when you’d hate to do it, out of need for money. If you’re a writer, you may find yourself having to publish a lot more often than you want just to get more attention. If you’re a programmer you may find yourself coding for too long and not being aware of how your mind even works anymore, just to get paid.

And that’s all besides all the responsibilities you have as a freelancer, especially if you have a family or if, as I said, you’re trying to also sustain yourself with your work!

So, if you’re interested in becoming a freelancer so you can focus on your passion, then think twice before you do it. Is it something you really want to do? Do you think you’ll love to do that particular thing for 8 or more hours a day, every day, even if you’d like to take a break? Are you willing to make small “sacrifices” that require you to work for money instead of that project you really like, in order to sustain yourself?

If the answer is yes, then sure, go ahead, have fun!

If not, then you may have to slow down and think about what you should do next.