Self-employed life can be a minefield. When I first started, I lacked the confidence to charge what I was worth which I think is quite a common problem when people first set up. There have also been times when I’ve worked with clients, and something just hasn’t felt right. I’m sure we’ve all had a client where we can’t click with them, we dread the calls etc but have no idea why. As time as gone on I’ve started charging proper rates and I’m lucky enough to be able to only work with clients that I am really passionate about and connect with, that could be because they have a product or service I love or I just click with the owner, but it has always fascinated me as to why I find some people easier to work with or get on with.
Personal development can often take a back seat when self-employed without somebody putting on a training day or setting personal development goals, but I think it is something that is really important, plus I am pretty fascinated by the human mind, how we work, what makes us tick and how we all see the world differently.
Due to this passion of mine I’m currently doing a Therapeutic Coaching course and as part of this not only have I studied how we all have totally different maps of the world that impact how we behave, feel things, and react I have also had to do some values work and that is where I found my answers about those disconnects, I sometimes feel in business. When I did a values test back in June I found that my five core values are:
· Health – well-being, fitness, not getting sick.
· Variety– frequent change, diversity
· Pleasure – enjoyment, happiness, satisfaction
· Friendship – Comradeship, companionship
· Authenticity – truthfulness, genuineness
None of this was a surprise as I exercise most days and health is high on my list of priorities, I get bored easily, can spot somebody who is inauthentic a mile off , love my friends with a passion and love having a good time. As well as discovering these things I also learnt that when something doesn’t align with your values it can feel a bit off. When I reflected on this it all made sense about why some projects didn’t sit well with me. In a work environment I recognised that the thing that usually triggered this feeling would have been lack of variety or when something doesn’t feel authentic.
The test also showed the following five values showed up strongly for me:
· Freedom
· Independence
· Family
· Equality
· Creativity
Look at these ten values I can see why self-employed life works so well for me as it allows me freedom, independence the chance to be creative and offers variety.
Doing the values work has also helped me understand when issues arise in my personal life with friends or family.
Have you done any values work? What are yours? Do they match with the work/lifestyle you have?
Rebecca Slater is a PR Consultant with more than 20 years public relations experience. She is based in Staffordshire and provides support to businesses all over the country.
Find out more at www.beckandcallpr.co.uk or email sayhello@beckandcallpr.co.uk