There is something about finishing what we start that feeds us.
It’s a lifecycle—with a beginning, middle and end. If you work on projects, this is a natural way of life.
When I was in a big firm and we completed a months-long project, it always came with huge relief (“Hey, we pulled this off—woo hoo”).
And then, usually by Day 2, anxiety would creep in. Because the aftermath of a big project was always—silence. And in the silence comes the fear.
How would the rest of the world perceive our baby? What would I work on next, having flung so much of myself into THIS project? How long would I sit on the bench waiting for a client to choose me again?
My project-oriented teammates and I thrived and then suffered in the world of projects.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Now, I always KNOW there will be another project, another client. I don’t know when, I don’t know who, but I know it will come.
That feeling—is crucial to allow yourself the respite you need to be ready for your next big move. So you can relax and enjoy the glow for a bit without sweating what comes next.
The secret? Never allow yourself to forget that your current projects aren’t your only work. As a soloist, you’ve got to build yourself a revenue model that anticipates the highs and lows of living “in the projects”.
Think of it as always being in build mode: new relationships, new ideas, new conversations, new content. It’s what keeps your next project—that you often can’t even see yet—on a slow simmer.
It will give you the confidence—not swaggering arrogance, but confidence—that the right next thing is just around the corner.
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