Chris Hughes is a friend of mine who also happens to be a smart and talented entrepreneur. I always look forward to his insights, and to his take on the internet marketing world.

Today, Chris wrote a post that I found both enjoyable and challenging:

New Year’s Activity to Find Your Core Identity

With the year coming to a close, I’m striving to reevaluate my business (and my life), and Chris poses some tough questions that have added to my reevaluation process. Although the exercise was challenging, I had a lot of fun with it – you have to live in the present, but you also have to have a (loose) plan to keep you motivated and enthusiastic about the future.

“If there were no consequences or limitations, what would your perfect average day look like?”

Where would I live? I would live in a beachfront condo in Florida or Southern California. I hate yard work, so a condo would be ideal.

What would my house look like? It would be a ranch condo with two bedrooms, an office, 2 full bathrooms, a combination kitchen/dining area and a living room with a fireplace. The office would overlook the beach. It would have room for video lights, a built-in bookcase, a green screen and a desk with two 27-inch monitors and a docking station for my laptop.

The condo would be within 30 minutes of a medium-sized city (hey, I’m a city boy at heart).

When would I get up? I would get up at 5 AM. I work best in the morning, and tend to gravitate toward screwing around in the afternoon, so I’d want to get the bulk of my work out of the way by noon.

What would I do in the morning? I’d put on a pot of Seattle’s Best and meditate for 10 minutes while the coffee brewed. Then I’d grab a cup of coffee, check my affiliate stats and write two or three blog posts before time for my daughter to get up. I’d have breakfast with my wife and daughter, then head back to the office to work on a writing project for a client. Between 11:00 AM and noon, I’d plan a video blog or a video for an informational product.

What would I think about first thing in the morning? I’d think about how enjoyable it is to be able to provide a good living for my family, while still having time to spend with them. I’d also focus on being grateful for my lifestyle, for my supportive, loving family, and for the opportunities I create for myself and for others.

What would I have for breakfast? Coffee, a veggie frittata and an orange or nectarine.

What would I have for lunch? Iced tea, veggies and hummus, and a grilled black bean burger with avocado, lettuce, horseradish sauce and cucumber slices.

Who would I eat with? My wife, a business partner, a mentor or a client.

What would I talk about at lunch? Depends on the company. If it’s a client, I’d help the client brainstorm or refine strategies for improving his or her business or personal life. If it’s a business partner or mentor, I’d talk ideas. If it’s my wife, we’d discuss our mornings and just enjoy each other’s company. (We tend to communicate a lot without saying a word.)

What would I do in the afternoon? I’d spend an hour shooting a video blog or promotional video, then head to the gym for an hour. I’d grab a shower and shave at the gym, then come back to the office and have a video conference with a client or tie up administrative tasks and respond to blog post comments. After my daughter came home from school, we’d lounge on the beach for an hour.

What would I have for dinner? My family and I would go out for dinner, or we’d grill marinated tofu steaks or seitan… and a salad, garlic bread (can’t eat healthy all the time) and iced tea.

What would I do in the evening? I’d help my daughter with her homework, and then the family and I would watch a movie or head into the city to do some exploring.

Other stuff…

What would I do for fun/hobbies? I’d paint or sculpt. I’d also have a crappy garage band.

What would I do for personal growth? Read a motivational book or biography, read up on personal and business development, meditate, and attend a public speaking group

What would my business be? It’d be a lot like it is now, with a heavier emphasis on helping people achieve their business and personal goals, particularly in the areas of work-life balance and personal fulfillment. I’d run personal and business development websites with premium courses designed to help truly serious individuals take their businesses and lives to the next level. I’d also take on writing projects for select clients, give public speaking presentations and write books.

What would my clients be like? They would be highly motivated professionals who understand the value of improving their personal lives and businesses. They would primarily be entrepreneurs with at least two years’ experience running their businesses.

What would I do for family time? Watersports, beach lounging, family game nights, ezxploring quirky oceanside towns, intercontinental travel. Although you can’t underestimate the power of a quiet evening at home watching movies and playing video games.

Parting thoughts…

I didn’t answer the exact same questions as Chris. I think I even added a few of my own. I invite you to complete this exercise on your own and add/delete questions as you see fit. The hour or so you spend on these questions will help you shape your focus and your actions over the coming year… and you just might even enjoy the process!

To Your Success,

Lee

Photo: Mark_66it

I’ve written extensively about specific techniques to improve your chances of freelance success, such as pricing, choosing the right clients and asking for referrals. Today, I want to touch on something a bit more fundamental — adopting a mindset that leads to success, rather than failure.

During my years as a freelancer and a freelance coach, I’ve developed a very simple formula that applies equally to business goals and life goals. I call it the B.A.R. Principle.

Quite simply:

Beliefs x Action = Results.

The B.A.R. Principle works both positively and negatively. If you hold negative beliefs and take negative action (or no action), you get negative results. Conversely, positive beliefs coupled with positive action yield positive results.

But that’s too simple, right? It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to state the obvious! And this principle, I have to admit, is nothing short of obvious.

Fortunately (for everyone involved), I’m not a brain surgeon. But even though this principle is fall-off-a-log simple, how many of us really follow the B.A.R. Principle?

The danger of negative beliefs

I’ve worked with dozens of freelancers who hold negative beliefs about themselves and their worth. I’m talking about truly craptastic (but pervasive) beliefs like:

“I’m no more special than any of the other writers / coders / designers / photographers out there. What right do I have to charge more / attract more business than they do?”

“Self-promotion is evil / wrong / unethical. I want to succeed based on my own talents, rather than some douchebag marketing campaign.”

“I have to charge low rates so that my clients will be happy.”

What’s wrong with these beliefs? They don’t support a profitable freelancing business, that’s what. They undermine you, and keep you working harder than necessary to meet your primary goal – providing a better life for yourself and your family.

Fortunately, it takes only a moment of determination to change these beliefs. In one moment of focused determination, you have the unparalleled ability to replace these beliefs with:

“I have a unique talent that can exponentially improve the businesses of my clients. The value I provide to my clients is well worth the price I charge, because my services can dramatically increase their profits.”

“Self-promotion is a natural part of doing business. I am doing potential clients a favor by offering to improve their businesses with my talents.”

“I charge what I need to run a profitable business while keeping my clients happy.”

Belief means nothing without action.

Actions solidify beliefs. It doesn’t matter what you say you believe if you don’t follow through with laser-focused action.

Suppose I decide I’m the king of England. I can sit around thinking that, but unless I develop a strategy to overthrow the British government and assemble the resources necessary to do so… and carry it out… then I’m just a crackpot who probably needs psychological help. It doesn’t matter how adamantly I believe it. (And just for the record, I have no intention of becoming the king of England. I hate bread pudding.)

Committing to a belief requires action. Without acting on a plan, you’re simply stating a wish. Or, using the B.A.R. Principle equation, you’re multiplying your beliefs by zero. Let’s go back to 2nd grade math – what happens when you multiply any number by zero? The result is… well, zero.

How will you achieve your plan and fulfill your beliefs? How will you command the fees you need to remain (or become) profitable, and obtain the clients you need to fill your freelancing business to capacity? Will you:

• Provide social proof, through Facebook Likes and Google+ +1s, to establish authority?
• Launch direct marketing campaigns to local business owners to show them how you can help build their businesses?
• Provide potential clients with compelling, verifiable testimonials from past or current clients?
• Obtain referrals from peers and existing clients?
• Craft an online sales page?
• Develop blog content to showcase your expertise?

Combine beliefs and action to achieve results.

Again, beliefs alone do not generate results. Likewise, action without focused beliefs will not likely produce anything but fatigue and frustration. Commit to your beliefs, craft your actions to align with these beliefs, and the results are inevitable.

However, you can’t expect the synergy of beliefs and actions to work together immediately. You must lean on your beliefs to weather the trial and error that comes with refining your actions. You must have conviction, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you will achieve success – whatever that means for you.

The results, I promise you, will be nothing short of astounding.

You’ve decided to break away from the daily grind of working for someone else. The freelancing life seems all too sweet – setting your own schedule, determining your own income, and working in your pajamas if you so choose.

But maybe things haven’t gone as you expected. Perhaps you’ve run up against fierce competition and clients who want the world on a silver platter for $5 an hour. And suddenly, you’re thinking, “Why the hell am I doing this?”

I’d love to tell you that every freelancer I’ve worked with has moved on from this point to become highly successful, going from eating Ramen noodles every night to rolling in piles of cash. Sadly, that’s not the case. The ones who have achieved success possess several traits that others refuse to cultivate. And those factors determine the difference between success and failure in the freelancing world.

To be successful as a freelancer, you must love what you do.

That sounds cheesy, I know. It reeks of enough new-age feel-good fuzziness to make most of us sick to our stomachs. But the simple truth is, if you don’t love what you do, you can’t sustain your motivation to do it for very long.

I haven’t loved every job I’ve done in my life. I spent 10 years pushing papers in the corporate office of an insurance company, and I dreaded every day of it. Even as a freelancer, I’ve taken on projects that interested me about as much as watching paint dry. So what happened? The work took far longer than it should have. Every moment I spent working felt like torture, and I’m sure that showed through in my work.

If you don’t love what you do, it’s not going to get any more enjoyable.

Now, I’ve been told, “Not everyone can love their work. If they did, there would be no street sweepers or janitors.”

But I’m not talking about everyone. I’m talking about you.

You have an entrepreneurial spirit, and you have a choice. There are a million niches and businesses out there, and I can’t imagine that there’s not a single one that sustains your passion.

To be successful as a freelancer, you must be resilient.

Loving what you do doesn’t guarantee a smooth path. You’re going to deal with market changes, asshole clients, dry spells and other stuff you didn’t have to deal with as an employee.

But resilience is a part of passion. You must be willing to weather the bumps (and craters) that accompany this crazy business. Sometimes you’re on top of the mountain, and sometimes you carry the mountain on your back. Let the challenges strengthen and humble you, and remember that nothing, no matter how bad it seems at the time, is permanent.

To be successful as a freelancer, you must have talent.

This probably sounds like an asshole thing to say, but there are a great many freelancers out there who don’t have any business working for clients. If you don’t have a talent that provides value for clients, you’re wasting everyone’s time.

That said, I believe that talent can be learned. Don’t know how to write sales letters? Go visit your local library – you’ll find dozens of books written by marketing masters that will help you hone your sales writing skills. Confused about programming Android apps? Take a class to learn the nuances of this in-demand freelancing niche.

You can’t rest on what you think you already know. To succeed as a freelancer, you have to continually build upon your talents to provide the best possible products and services to your clients. Otherwise, they might as well give their money to someone else who is committed to perpetual development.

To be successful as a freelancer, you must be willing to do what others won’t.

A struggling freelancer’s mantra is “but I can’t do that.” Approach clients? Send out sales letters? Book public speaking engagements to establish authority and attract clients? Host webinars? “But I just couldn’t…”

One of the most important pieces of the freelancing puzzle is doing what most freelancers won’t do. They’re leaving gold on the table, so to speak, and all you have to do is pick it up.

What uncomfortable thing can you do to promote your business, command higher rates and build your clientele? Spend an hour today doing it.

I’m not a sociable person by any means. I’d rather stay in my little home office tapping away at my laptop keyboard. But face-to-face consulting with small business owners has been integral to my continued success, particularly over the past 12 months. I don’t like giving face-to-face presentations, but I like entertaining $5 an hour gigs from online clients a lot less.

By the way, when I talk about being successful, I’m talking about more than money. I know plenty of wealthy people who are miserable. Success means being stoked about your work (most of the time), control over your life and the ability to enjoy each day you have available. Feel free to add your own criteria of success.