Are you paralyzed with the feeling that you just don’t know what you can offer to the world as a freelance consultant?
Ok. It’s ok. Let’s jump into it.
You may have seen this Venn diagram before; it’s not a bad one at all. It helps you find the work that will motivate you and fill you with a sense of meaning. Does this look familiar to you? If not, take a moment to study it.
In the centre of those circles is the sweet spot; that’s where you find your work, your vocation, your Ikigai—a Japanese term connoting purpose, meaning and direction.
It’s beautiful if you have something that you can do that sits within all of those circles.
And it’s ok if nothing does right now. Let’s simplify it a bit, just for our purposes here.
Honestly, that’s all you need right now. And sure, one of life’s goals is to find that perfect purposes. We all want to find that thing that changes the world and allows you to meet all your financial goals.
I’m not saying you should stop looking for that. I believe I have found it, and it has made me happy and productive. Certainly, the more passionate you are, the easier it is to get out of bed each morning.
But if you are paralyzed with the feeling that you’d like to be a consultant but honestly don’t know what you have to offer, start here with the basics.
What you offer
What are the kinds of things you are tasked with in your job (or that you trained to do in school) that fit the above three criteria? Make a short list.
Which of those things excites you most? Which of those would help you find meaning and motivation in your days?
They don’t have to world-shattering things; they don’t have to fill you feelings of awe and wonder and excitement.
Honestly? They just need to be better than the things you’re doing right now. Or, they just need to offer you a better workplace, a better rate of pay. Maybe they just need to offer a better boss than you have right now.
That boss is going to be you.
See, you are probably here because you’ve hit a point in your employment career where things are just not working the way you want.
You’re here because
- You’ve hit a ceiling in where you can advance to as an employee
- You’re at a point where you have Strong Feelings about how the work should be done but they’re not listening to you.
- You can’t seem to find an employer who can provide you with the autonomy, the challenge, and the rewards you’re seeking.
- You can’t seem to find an employer that is willing to accommodate the lifestyle you need right now. You’ve grown to love working at home. Or, you need flexility because you’re taking care of a parent, a child, or someone else. Maybe you have a partner that needs some kind of flexible support, and 9-5 employment just isn’t doing it for you.
All of the above are great reasons to pursue consulting. All of the above are great reasons to put together a portfolio and a website and hang out your shingle. You’re not quitting your day job just yet, right? You have nothing to lose except a few hours of your time.
So get busy.
Write down the things you can do, that you can feel positive about doing, that people pay money for.
Do it. Open up a journal, either a hand-written one or a document on your own hard drive (not your work hard drive ok?)