Maneuvering through the Gig Economy using The Human Element Wheel
It was a sunny January morning. Sharon dropped by Veronica’s place as they walked together to meet Kylie at their favorite coffee shop. The three of them wrapped in their sweaters and winter scarves as steam blew out of their hot chocolate mugs as they wrapped their fingers around them for warmth. The meeting was not just a chit-chat meeting. The key reason for their gathering was for Veronica and Sharon to listen to what Kylie has to say about freelancing; What do they need to enter the Gig economy? What skills do they need?
Kylie had a lot to say in that area, primarily because she had just attended an online course with Business Consultants, Inc. (BCon) about The Human Element (THE)®, a systematic and scientific approach that helps individuals understand themselves and others. This course helped her a lot. Now she was on a quest to explain it to her friends.
1. Know Yourself
According to THE, everything starts with Self-Awareness. When it comes to freelancing, we cannot stress enough how much Self-Awareness is essential. Let us first define what Self-Awareness is according to THE definition:
“The aspect of my experience that I have made known to me. My unaware part, also known as my unconscious, is the part of my experience that I do not choose to be aware of. My unconscious contains both negative and positive elements, such as things I’m afraid of, ashamed of, or feel guilty about, as well as positive qualities I’ve yet to embrace, such as creativity, initiative, honesty, or courage. When I am aware of my experience, I can choose how I wish to act intentionally. My unconscious may influence me in ways I don’t comprehend when I’m not aware of myself.”
Examining the above definition, we can conclude that self-awareness is vital to freelancing. First, through self-awareness, you will understand what you are good at and what you are passionate about. Your different experiences at work and through life will give you a guiding compass as to how much energy and enthusiasm you put into which tasks in particular and which do not motivate or interest you. It will be a waste of time and energy to quit your full-time job and throw yourself into the Gig economy only to realize you are again not doing what you love or want. Second, self-awareness will help you understand what about a full-time job annoys you. Thus, helping you know whether freelancing is suitable for you and on which basis you should build it.
2. Love Yourself
The concept of self-esteem is at the heart of a freelancer. Self-esteem is primarily how you feel about yourself. According to THE, when you feel good about yourself, you’re inspired to reach your full potential, form positive relationships with coworkers, family, and friends, and apply all of your skills and energies to your work. Some individuals possess unique talents. However, due to lack or low self-esteem, they lack belief in themselves and their capacity to achieve their potential and dreams. Thus, they spend their lives in jobs they loathe as they do not see themselves doing any better.
3. Speak Highly to Yourself
According to psychologists and neuroscientists, human beings have a constant inner dialogue, or self-talk, of between 150 and 300 words per minute, translating to 45,000 to 51,000 thoughts every day. What you tell yourself becomes your reality. If you tell yourself that you are a failure, your subconscious mind will believe your thoughts, and your actions will start to follow. Imagine being out and about in the Gig economy, totally on your own, and your only supporter who is yourself keeps putting you down with negative thoughts.
4. Acknowledge that You Have a Choice
You make decisions daily, such as what to say, where to go, and what to do. Therefore, when a decision goes wrong, learn from it, and move on. Do not spend your time assigning self-blame. This behavior will only push you into the guilt trap. A choice is a practical tool. It refocuses our concentration on understanding our choices and making intentional decisions that help us reach our objectives. As a freelancer, you’re making choices all the time. Whether about the clients you work with, the projects you take on, your timings and schedules, and so on. Understanding that you have a choice will help you understand yourself and learn from your decisions, whether right or wrong. Moreover, acknowledging that you have a choice will help balance your life instead of taking on a workload and ruining your work/life balance.
5. Flex Your Muscles
Being a freelancer means you are your own boss. You get to choose when and how to work, and with whom. As much as this is a privilege, it also needs flexibility from your side. For sometimes, you will need to stand up for yourself. Other times, your client will change their mind regarding a deadline or how they need a specific project. You need to be flexible enough and manage yourself and your clients’ expectations. Moreover, it would be best if you adapt your communication style and preferences according to your clients. Rigidity in a Gig economy will lead to loss of clients and business.
6. Exercise Openness
As a freelancer, you are responsible for attracting your clients and building a relationship with them to sustain and maintain your business. Choosing your degree of openness is vital in making connections (relationships) and reputation (branding). It would help if you were open to creating relations and communications that will help your business. In addition, as an independent worker, you do not belong to an organization. Therefore, you might lack this sense of belonging to an entity and a group of colleagues to share your morning coffee and some quick chat after some time. Hence, it’s beneficial to open up to some supportive relationships that surround you that might act as your support group when the ride gets tough.
Exercising openness will help you get business and support you when needed, and it will help you know more about yourself as you open yourself up to feedback. Thus, feeding into your self-awareness.
1The Human Element, Part One, Cornerstone Participant Guide, BCon (Business Consultants,Inc)
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