I don’t know about you, but anytime I start something new, I tend to go into it full of excitement. Taking action feels effortless and I’m able to bust through all of my early goals. And then...something changes.

Maybe the work is a lot harder than I anticipated.

Maybe I didn’t get the immediate results I was hoping for.

Heck, maybe I just get bored and want to try something new.

Whatever the reason, my motivation takes a major dip and suddenly, the actions that used to feel easy now feel like major work. I start looking for reasons to quit and give up on my goal.

How to stay motivated as a freelance writer

Unfortunately, I see that happen all the time with new freelance writers. They email me full of excitement about the prospect of making money online and finding jobs on Upwork.

Then they start sending proposals and most of them go unanswered.

Or a friend tells them that there’s no way they can actually make money as a freelancer.

Or they realize it’s really freaking hard to sit down and write every day.

What do you do when this happens? How do you find the motivation to push through and stay focused on your goals?

To this day, I still periodically struggle to stay motivated with my freelance writing goals. Sometimes I get bored with the assignments I have and honestly, some days I just don’t feel like working.

I know writing for a living sounds like the dream job but you can get tired of it just like anything else. And honestly, I don’t know if this feeling will ever entirely go away.

So why is it that some people will start freelancing and go on to build six-figure businesses while others give up after a few weeks or a few months?

I think it really comes down to having a strong “why.”

Finding your “why” as a freelance writer

To people who don’t know me, it may seem like I’m just a naturally driven and highly motivated person.

But that’s actually not true at all.

For most of my life, I struggled with quitting things too soon.

For instance, I have always wanted to be a writer but until 2016, I never took consistent action on this goal.

In the past, I would half-heartedly decide to start a blog, write two or three posts, and then find a reason to give up.

In 2013, I decided I was going to write a novel, wrote about 18,000 words, and then quit on that as well.

I joined a local writing group, went to two meetups, and gave up on that as well.

So what changed in 2016?

Well, after being a stay-at-home mom for many years, I realized that staying home was no longer an option. I had to do something and since I had never graduated from college, I was working part-time at Starbucks.

Starbucks is a great company and I actually enjoyed working there. I worked the early morning shift, so I sometimes had to wake up as early as 3:30 AM to get to work on time.

Honestly, I probably would have gotten used to the ungodly hours. But I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that the money I earned barely made a dent in our monthly budget.

I earned about $700 a month and the money always seemed to go out faster than it came in. I remember stressing about how to pay for swimming lessons for our two kids because it felt like there was no extra room in the budget.

In a way, I feel like I had a huge advantage because I honestly felt like I had no choice but to stick with freelancing. But for me, the a-ha moment came when I was hired to write four product reviews for $360.

Up until that point, it was the most I had ever been paid for one writing assignment. I spent an entire Sunday working on those product reviews.

After I was done, it suddenly hit me that in one day, I had earned half as much money as I wouldn’ve made in an entire month at Starbucks. From there, quitting freelance writing was no longer an option for me and something I never even considered.

I had found my “why.”

3 steps to find your “why”

When you find your “why,” it becomes easier to push through the obstacles that will inevitably come up.

Quitting is no longer an option and you have to continue moving forward.

So how can you find your “why” as a freelance writer?

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Find a goal you’re really excited about

When it comes to goal setting, I think the biggest mistake many people make is that they set goals they think are realistic.

As a result, they aren’t really excited about those goals and aren’t motivated to stick with them.

I want you to set one big, overarching goal that EXCITES you. And I don’t care if you don’t know how you’re going to achieve it or if it seems really unrealistic.

Focus on what you want, not what seems feasible based on your past experiences.

After all, are you trying to re-create your past? If the answer is no then don’t set goals based on what you’ve done thus far.

2. Focus on small daily habits

Now that you have your big, exciting goal you need to focus on taking small actions daily to move toward it. This is something I talk about a lot in my freelance writing course.

And it’s why I tell new freelance writers to focus on sending at least three proposals every day. It seems small, but it’s those types of small, consistent actions that really add up over time.

3. Celebrate your wins

I have a business coach, and everytime I tell her about a win (no matter how big or small) she asks me, “How are you celebrating?” And honestly, this question used to really frustrate me.

I figured I would celebrate once I finally accomplished my big goal. Why would I celebrate finding one new client or staying consistent with my marketing efforts?

But if you can’t be happy or excited about the small daily progress you’re making now, then you won’t be satisfied once you do reach that big income goal. So work on being proud of yourself for where you’re at right now.

Find little ways to celebrate along the way. This doesn’t have to be anything big — for me, it might just be enjoying a cup of coffee and listening to a podcast before I begin my workday.

Final thoughts on motivation

This week, I want you to take some time to think about your “why” and come up with that one big, exciting goal that will keep you motivated. Write it down and look at it throughout your day, especially when you start to get frustrated or feel like giving up.

Need more freelance writing tips? Sign up for my free webinar, How to Use Upwork as a Freelance Writer.