My Never-Say-Never Rules for Freelancers

My Never-Say-Never Rules for Freelancers
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Yesterday, a writer in my online community for freelancers said you should never listen to success tips that begin with the word "never." That got me thinking. Here's what I thought:

My Never-Say-Never Rules for Freelancers

  1. Never work for free. Unless it gets you on The Today Show, sells your product or bumps your book into the top 100 on Amazon.

  • Never steal an idea another freelancer is pursuing.
  • Never stop being enterprising.
  • Never stop learning.
  • Never take it out on the woman at the airline ticket counter.
  • Never expect that buying a new car or a cherry-wood floors will increase your happiness over the long-term.
  • Never climb someone else's ladder.
  • Never mistake your present state for how things will be in the future.
  • Never stay inside your bubble so long you forget what it feels like to take a risk.
  • Never let the person who hired you abuse you in any way.
  • Never be afraid to ask for what you want and feel you deserve.
  • Never expect to have success as a writer without sitting down and writing.
  • Never take one negative reaction as the end-all answer about who you are.
  • Never start a blog about Honey Boo Boo.
  • Never let sources read your draft before it runs.
  • Never address an editor as "Dear Sir."
  • Never work for mean people.
  • Never send money to a stranger who emails you in the middle of the night about being robbed in Nigeria.
  • Never underestimate the power of collaboration.
  • Never neglect the parts of your life that really matter: love, relationships, health, dignity.
  • Never shy away from having coffee with smart, interesting, creative people.
  • Never believe you have run out of options, hope, possibilities or good ideas.
  • Never say never when it comes to my favorite question about success: "Hey, why NOT me?"
  • Follow me on Twitter at @LetterFromLA or...

    Popular in the Community

    Close

    What's Hot