When You Go Freelance, Your 9–5 Friends Will Think You’re Weird — So Be Prepared
Create the life you want without self-destructing
Make no mistake: When you reject the 9–5, you’re declaring that the way 90% of people live their lives is wrong.
But you’re not shouting it from the rooftops.
It’s more subtle than that.
Claire Gong has a brilliant line that summarises how I feel. She recently took a career break, and when describing the emotional ups and downs of her decision, she writes:
“The surprising thing was this loneliness actually did not come from travelling solo […] The disconnect stemmed from something deeper within me — something that wasn’t related to travelling itself, but had to do with being in a different stage of life as my friends.”
“… being in a different stage of life as my friends.”
I feel this with pretty much everyone I meet.
But it’s not just the weirdness. I sometimes feel their pity. They think I’m just scraping by. So how do I explain that I’m making more money than I’ve ever made before without sounding like a massive dick?
