Fully Booked VA Blog

Why Smart People Don’t Quit

Today we’re lucky enough to have Jeff Eskow, a friend and mastermind buddy here to share his story of how he landed his dream job AFTER he was first passed over for someone else.

The short answer how he did it? He didn’t quit. And as someone that has also gone through 30 Days or Less to Freelance Writing Success, he’s also here to encourage you to persevere, go after your goals with tenacity, and overcome any and all obstacles in your way. He’s got plenty of personal experience doing the same.

Take it away Jeff!

What is the difference between cutting your losses…and quitting? Or, better: What do you truly lose out on when you quit?

If you are an aspiring freelance writer, then you are already learning about deathly silence and outright rejection. You are facing writer’s block, and you wish you had family and friends that were more supportive. You’ve got a lot on your plate. You’re nervous, you’re anxious and you wonder if it’s all worth it.

Let me tell you: It is.

Look around you… a LOT of people have found success freelance writing. Heck, a lot of people have found success doing ANYTHING they are passionate about, and a lot MORE people gave up, walked away and never truly tested their boundaries.

If you quit now, you CANNOT succeed. 

Obvious, right? You quit when you are losing significant money on an effort… or losing pints of blood (or both!). But never, never should you quit simply because you are frustrated. You haven’t lost anything valuable yet! Just some time and effort. You’ve got a LOT more time and effort left in you.

Your job is to use that effort correctly. Intelligently. Daily.

My Story

Let me give you an example, though not-directly related… but worth sharing:

I once had a job that I hated. I hated it! But I’m not a quitter. I had made up my mind that I would get a better job.

So three or four nights a week, I’d sit at my computer and comb LinkedIn and other sources for job opportunities, and each of those nights I’d send 3-4 resumes. Some were outright unsolicited, but I knew what markets I wanted to work in and I knew I wanted to work somewhere else. Some jobs I was overqualified for… but I knew that if I could get into a good company, I could grow.

I did this for roughly four months. (Yes… 16 weeks, four nights a week… four resumes a night.) I did indeed get offered some interviews and I even got some job offers. But the pay was far too low and I didn’t want to settle. I knew what my goal was (more pay, better place of employment) and I kept swinging the bat.

Finally, I went on an interview for a place that I liked a lot. Great product, great people… it was the perfect package. I even thought I had a great interview. When it came down to me and one other candidate… the Other Guy was offered the job. I was heartbroken. I really wanted that job.

But I didn’t give up. I kept in touch. I sent them leads. I commented on their blog. And three months later they called to tell me that they’d like to interview me again. And I was offered the job. That isn’t pure luck. I worked hard, I did smart things, and I stayed visible. I did it, and YOU can do it too.

Let’s Talk About You

You want to be a freelancer, but you are frustrated by your current “lack of success.” What is the REAL alternative to quitting? People fail to reach their goals every day. Some of the most successful people you know have had awful days, months, quarters… even years!

But SMART people figure out WHY they are failing, and they make adjustments.

  • They change strategies
  • They find a mentor
  • They read better reference materials
  • They look for better opportunities
  • They test new ideas, measure them, tweak them, try again.

This is why you cannot quit!

You need to change your strategies.  Take an online course, or a college course.  Spend less time watching TV and more time reading about what successful freelancers do. That’s what smart people do. Smart people don’t quit.

The less-smart folks keep changing jobs, looking for an easier route. When that route stops being easy, they leave again. Never learning HOW to excel, HOW to succeed and/or HOW to grow. That is why quitting is so much worse and so much more than just an act of “walking away.”

Because if you fail and LEARN from your failure, you can re-tool and try again. But if you walk away every time the going gets tough, you can’t learn from it. Which is almost a guarantee that you will fail AGAIN.

In Conclusion

Losing hurts. Never playing hurts more.

You want to be a freelance writer? BE a freelance writer!

But be the BEST freelance writer you can be.  Ask yourself every day what you did right and what you did wrong. Network every day, and learn from the successful people you meet.

Here is some parting advice from ANOTHER great man who didn’t quit:

“Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”
― Winston Churchill

JeffJeff Eskow is a Sales and Marketing executive, whose entire career has been dedicated to making the world more organized and more efficient. He’s also dedicated the last 25 years to studying self-improvement, and he blogs actively about Success, Perseverance, Goal Setting and Sales Efforts. You can see more of his blogging (and info on the software his company provides), here. When Jeff isn’t selling, reading or blogging…he’s watching Pro Wrestling. Yes, Pro Wrestling… Don’t forget you’re a tweeting machine too! <added by Gina>

Now that Jeff got you all fired up, what can you do TODAY to move forward and closer to your goals?

PS: Make sure to read next Tuesday’s blog post (7.21.15), where I’ll be announcing the most epic aspiring freelance writer giveaway EVER! You DON’T want to miss this (even if you’ve already taken my course).

Photo Credit: AndreCDNobre via Compfight cc

Gina Horkey

Gina Horkey

FOUNDER & CO-OWNER

Gina Horkey is a married, millennial mama from Minnesota. Additionally, she’s the founder of Horkey HandBook and loves helping others find or become a kickass virtual assistant. Gina’s background includes making a living as a professional writer, an online business marketing consultant and a decade of experience in the financial services industry.

Not sure which services to offer as a Virtual Assistant?

Enter your email and we’ll send you a full list of what you can sell, how valuable those skills are and where to find clients to serve!