Deathbed Regret #4
A few years ago, I was a very bad friend.
Put simply, I was caught up in “me.” I didn’t return phone calls, I turned down invitations. To be honest, I’m not sure why my friends didn’t just drop me then and there.
But they kept checking in on me. They’d send me emails to wish me a nice day. They’d leave messages – or even small gifts on my doorstep – letting me know they were thinking of me.
My friends sensed I was going through something. They gave me space but let me know they were there for me.
Looking back, I regret the time I lost with them. But I’m committed to not making the same mistake again.
Good thing, too – as that’s actually the fourth most common regret of the dying:
“I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.”
The friends you already have can be a pillar of support as you transition to freelancing life. They can reenergize you when you need it.
But you won’t succeed as a freelancer unless you make new friends in the business.
That’s because nobody else will fully understand what you go through.
The friends you make in the freelancing world will be the ones who support you on an intellectual and emotional level. They’ll be the only people who relate to your drive to take your life in your hands, seek out unlimited income, and ride along the path less traveled.
They’ll also be the few who understand the challenges that come with working from home. Like missing the daily connection with other people.
If you’re new to the writer’s life, don’t sweat it – it’s a snap to find freelancer friends and peers who will connect with you. Here’s what worked for me:
- Attend live events (like Bootcamp or the Wealthy Web Writer’s Web Intensive)
- Connect on Facebook or other social networks
- Become active on blogs and forums dedicated to your niche
- Join Circle of Success, a comprehensive program that, among other things, helps you build your portfolio, polish your marketing skills, and develop a strategic career plan
If you can suggest any other ways to meet fellow copywriters, please do so below. I look forward to your comments.
Until May 30th: Enrollment Open for Circle of Success
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I think you have detected a flaw in my syche or personality, to have sent "deathbed regret #4" my way.
How you did that was beyond me; but I would say that I was not self centered in anyway.
I have been aloof lately, and I have stayed away from people.
You see, I have had intimate friends, but they all were professional gamblers (and they still are); yet, since I became free of that habit through my faith, they stopped bing friendly. They did not call me anymore, and they never returned my calls.
Friendship was basically a commitment, and one has to be prepared to give oneself away for others to trust and believe in.
I was not that type for them; and they thought I had abandoned them, after my religious transformation.
I, on the other hand, thought that they were not what I would consider to be true friends.
I felt that they were just using me to satisfy their own selfish ends.
Now that I have become AWAI member, I would keep my connections in place, by writing an
Guest (Emmanuel Bandoh) – November 6, 2011 at 11:49 am