When you watch movies or read stories, there would also be someone who contradicts the actions of the main character. These are called villains. In real life, there are also people who seem to be a villain but of course, they are not as evil as the ones we see in movies. These real life villains could say negative things about your freelance career and might even try to discourage you. How do you deal with people like this? How should you act?
Well, do not show them that you agree on what they are saying. But you should not also debate with them. How are you supposed to act? Today, we will give you tips on what you can do if you have detractors. This can help you to remain positive with your freelance career and can also make you perform better. You can be a real life hero of your own if you will successfully handle them. Here are our tips to guide you:
1. Just be confident.
Despite what other people say about you, you have to remain confident. Doing this can make everything better since they can see that you are confident of your freelance career. Being confident means that you are sure of what you are doing and that you know that something great will result from it.
2. Do not be bothered.
Instead of being bugged from what they are saying, just keep on doing what you are doing. Do not listen to their negative words. They don’t even know the nature of your job. So, do not waste your time entertaining them. Just do your job.
3. Have a home office.
Having your own work space or an office is a good way to show them that you have progressed and that you are serious of what you are doing. It’s like saying, “this isn’t a joke!” and that you will really pursue your freelance career despite what they think about it. If it is your family or relatives that disagree about your work, you can have an office outside the house. This way, you can work with peace of mind.
4. Work on better results.
Show them that you are doing well with the job you have. Create better results and impress more clients. Your clients will surely be telling other people how good you are doing. They will be able to see that they were wrong about what they think. There are really some people who want to pull you down and are maybe envious of what you have attained. The best way to prove them wrong is to do your best and improve with your work.
5. Do not let them ruin your priorities.
For sure, you have set priorities already even before detractors came. They might even do some things in order to disturb you. Like they would ask you to do this and that. Relatives usually do that. They think that if they let you do some errands for them or let you fix some stuff for them, you would be distracted with your freelance job and will finally end up stopping. But of course, you should not say yes to what they want. Let them know that you have your own priorities to work on. Or maybe you can work on their requests if you have spare time.
6. Stay healthy.
One point that people will tell you is that you will only get sick working freelance. There is a notion that freelancers are unhealthy people because they spend most of their time inside their homes working overtime. They even think that freelancers are so occupied facing their computers that they no longer have time for personal hygiene, eating and even sleep. Well, during busy days, freelancers may stay up late but that doesn’t happen all the time. Stay healthy to show others that they are wrong with what they think. But even if you do not have detractors, you still need to stay healthy all the time. Give that as a gift for yourself. You can check on our tips on How Can You Stay Fit and Healthy as a Designer?
7. Travel and go out.
Another point that they will munch on is that you will no longer have time to go out. Well, that is not correct. As a freelancer, you are your own boss. You can go out anytime you want. You can even travel to places you want to visit. Schedule trips once in a while. This is a good way of unwinding from your busy work.
8. Be nice to them.
Even if these people are not so nice to you, you still need to be nice to them. Disregard the negative things they say. Just be friendly to them. If you will exchange harsh words with them, it will only make matters worse and could also have negative impact on you. So instead of dwelling with hatred, just brush it away and remain with positive vibrations.
9. Just smile.
This is the simplest way to react when there are people who tell you negative stuffs about your work. If you have stated your side and they still kept of nagging, then just leave them alone and smile. It will make you feel better and it will also make your friend or relative think that you are not affected with what they are saying and that you will not allow them to hinder your freelance success.
10. Take note: Respect begets respect.
Bear this one in mind. If they do not respect your job, it doesn’t mean that you will not respect theirs. Show them that you remained respectful even if they didn’t. Time will come that they will also learn to understand your job and eventually respect your choice.
It’s Your Turn Now
We really cannot do away with people who have negative thoughts on you and your job. But these people can actually help you to become a better person and freelancer if you just turn their negative thoughts into positive actions. Learn to think positively all the time for this can help you grow. If someone is criticizing your work, you can try to look at our post on How to Deal with Design Criticisms Positively. Have you experienced this kind of situation? How did you deal with it?
