30 Posts In 30 Days – Day 9: Lonely
This is Day 9 of the 30 Posts In 30 Days Challenge I set for myself to start writing online. This post was originally published on X.
The internet can be a lonely place.
Especially (but not only) at the beginning of your journey online.
“Putting yourself out there” or “building in public” is a great way to gather feedback quickly.
But just because you are
- a creative
- a freelancer
- a solopreneur
- a personal brand
- a one-person business
doesn’t mean you have to do things by yourself all the time.
Whether we like it or not, humans are social creatures.
And when we’re working for ourselves, we can only benefit from our own community of coworkers.
I’m lucky enough to have three very close friends who are currently going through a similar process as me.
We have all been working for ourselves for some time now.
And we all want to transform our businesses, one way or another.
We check in every week to talk about
- the lessons we’ve learned
- the challenges we face
- the goals we have
And whatever else is on our minds.
You know how it is so much easier to give advice to others than to yourself?
In a setting like this, you have to break out of your own thoughts and think about the others for a moment.
That alone can help gain a new perspective on an unsolved problem.
And if it’s still not enough, feedback from the other members of your group is almost guaranteed.
Everyone’s a mentor, a teacher, and a student.
Find your group of people. Start with your friends and family. And if you can’t find anybody, look online.
It’s called “social media” for a reason, isn’t it?
Look for people at the same stage (or a few steps ahead of you), going through a similar process.
They don’t even have to work in the same field. It’s enough when they’re also working towards something, like you.
Offer them feedback and advice. Ask them if they want to hold each other accountable and grow together.
And then meet every week or two.
It’s important to learn how to thrive in solitude.
But sometimes it can be super lonely to work for yourself.
Plus, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of a small group of like-minded people, willing to grow together.