Just had a great call with a long-time VIP client who works internationally in the justice system. She is at the top of her game and has decided to go freelance so that she can free-up her highly pressured lifestyle…somewhat!
Here’s the glitch: making the transition from completely involved prized employee to being freelance is tricky. It means giving up oodles of control, having the pick of plum projects, and being out-of-the-loop for management decisions. This is a difficult mind-shift when you have been integral to the company as part of their executive team and in helping the company establish a strong footprint in an international market.
Being an HSP professional makes it even more challenging. Throw in a burnout personality and it’s dynamite! The biggest challenge? Easy! Learning to put yourself Front & Centre in your life, before company needs. Learning to say “YES” to your life first and then considering what that means to others involved. You have to learn to take a deep breath and set firm boundaries, new ones, otherwise it is so easy to keep getting drawn back in to corporate ‘stuff’. If you say “Yes I’ll help you with that one thing” the message is received as “Yeah! She’s back in!” It can be a slippery slope and given an HSPs usual caretaker/nurturer personality it is a slope you don’t even recognise being on!
Being tough doesn’t come easily to my HSP professional who has been raised and trained to be responsible, conscientious, and considerate. No, when she makes the shift to Front & Centre, this new “all about me” attitude and belief system feels selfish, self-centred, and a little like stamping her foot to get what she needs or wants.
The Burnout Queens ask, “And what’s wrong with that?” It is all about you when you put yourself Front & Centre in your life. That is how it ‘should’ be and that is exactly what makes you strong, powerful, confident, and able to do and be your absolute best for yourself and for others.
Like all transitions, going from employed to consultant or freelancer has a steep, but natural, learning curve. Our natural tendancy is to want to do it fast and do it right. Like any big transition or change it takes time and patience to navigate the shift, but the outcome is oh so worth it.
The Burnout Queens
