How romanticized is the concept of freelancing in Latin American society? That's one of the big questions that might come up when one is looking to move from a job with a schedule to one with complete freedom. However, it is always in doubt how beneficial it ends up being to have a job that only depends on you. A somewhat complicated concept since the norm in society dictates that "valid" jobs are those that demonstrate stability through a base salary, a predetermined schedule, a boss who reviews you, and seniority in a company. Before entering the world of freelancing, we must take into account all the circumstances of freelancing and whether it is something we are looking to adopt in our lifestyle.
One of the misperceptions about freelancing is that it is a job for hustlers. What this means is that it is a lifestyle filled with sleepless nights, unlimited cups of coffee a day and a life with no time off. All of this is sold as if it's a good thing; as if a life without life is the path to happiness, but is this fact or a fantasy? Mental and physical fatigue is not something to be trifled with. It is not really necessary to be working 24/7 to be successful, on the contrary, that space away from work is vital to be able to, well, have a good performance and be able to generate more. This is where a new work proposal comes in, one that promises to be the future of professional life.
The Passion Economy is based on the idea that freelancers can earn more money by growing their clients exponentially so that they don't work for gigs, but make their projects more accessible to a wide niche of clients with the possibility of doubling their income. Sounds amazing, doesn't it? Adam Davidson is the writer of the book The Passion Economy and introduces us to this term that comes to revolutionize the way freelancers work. Whether it is really something positive for all freelancers or whether it can be applied to all economic situations remains to be seen. The purpose of this way of working is to be able to unite the purchasing power with the passion and love you have for something. It invites you to find what makes you unique, which is not easy because it requires a very deep introspection. Not everyone knows what they want to do and what they are good at, but the tricky thing is to link that to the external; to who your people are, your niche. What Davidson makes clear is that you don't have to choose money, but passion, but how true to reality is this phrase? If we place ourselves in Latin America, the possibility of living from passion is only accessible to a few; and even so, those who can do it also have to think about their economic needs, which cannot always lead them to live from passion.
I believe, personally, that beyond seeking passion, is to seek to enjoy your working life. What does this mean? Or, is it even possible to enjoy work? I don't see why not. It is a reality that the future does lie in independent work, far from the multi-billion dollar companies that have their employees earning the minimum without much possibility of growth. As long as your economy can be secured, throw yourself into doing what you love the most. Focus on your purpose, not on climbing to the big numbers. As long as you serve your audience attentively and give them exactly what they need, they will have no choice but to choose you among the competition.
This road is a beautiful one, but a tough one to navigate. As long as you keep this in mind, the possibilities are vast; you just have to keep your feet on the ground so you don't get carried away by the poetics of a life full of "work passion". This way we can have the best of both worlds, the love for what you do and the assured economy.
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