Contract Worker - Freelancing Experiences

What Freelancers Can Learn From Kids

by Rico on May 21st, 2008

Much has been said about the straightforward and wisdom of kids (anyone remember The Emperor’s New Clothes?). Not surprisingly, their simple perspective applies to freelancing to. Kids love to ask questions, and here are some that freelancers can learn from:

1. Why is it like this? Why? Why? What’s honestly irritating to many parents is what helps freelancers maximize their more versatile setup. Away from the traditional constraints of the corporate setting, freelancers can constantly explore the reasons driving conventional wisdom—gaining the ability to either understand it better, or discover improvements that they can apply.
2. I don’t want to do this, so why should I? When it comes to passion, kids represent both extremes. Either they’re totally into something, or really apathetic about it. Grown-up people tend to ignore their true passion, for the sake of comfort, more money, etc. Adults, and freelancers in particular, need to ask themselves: “Do I really want to do this? Why?”
3. How do I do this? As an extension of their natural curiosity (see #1), kids are also eager to learn new things. Many kids want to do things by themselves, and they’ve got no problems asking for instructions or walkthroughs. The same should be true for freelancers, some of whom may suffer from the adult shame of asking for help.

Thanks to Shannon Cherry for the wonderful post idea! I don’t have kids of my own, but maybe you do; feel free to share what freelance lessons they offer by leaving a comment below.

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