Don’t reply
The secret to life as a people-pleasing freelancer
If you’re a people pleaser like me, you probably have trouble saying no.
You try to keep everyone around you happy, so you wind up saying yes to everything. And you hate conflict, so you avoid it by agreeing to whatever anyone else proposes.
When you’re running a freelance business, this is both a blessing and a curse.
The fact you will bend over backwards to help your clients is your greatest strength. It’s why people keep coming back to you.
You’ve become the person they trust to fix their problems.
But unless you keep firm boundaries, it’s a recipe for burnout and emotional exhaustion.
This simple trick has helped me along the way.
You don’t owe everyone a reply
People pleasers are programmed from birth to think that it’s rude to ignore someone.
You might upset them — and that, for a people pleaser, must be avoided at all costs.
You’ve been socialized to believe that anyone who has taken the time to contact you deserves a polite, well-considered reply.
