Do you experience any of the following symptoms?

• inability to find happiness in employment
• constant dissatisfaction with your job, no matter how much money you’re earning
• susceptibility to various distractions, such as a hobby, passion – or kids and spouse
• weakness for dreams of adventure, like traveling, bungee jumping or living a bohemian lifestyle
• short attention span for structure, or at least those structures that others set up for you

If you suffer any or all of the symptoms described above, I’m afraid the prognosis is not good:

You’ve got a freelancer’s heart.

It’s an illness for which there is only one cure: to engage in what may be the scariest, most challenging journey of your life.

But it’s the only thing that will take away the constant feelings of discontent, longing and soul-lessness you’ve been getting from employment.

How do you know if you really have the heart of a freelancer?

I believe a freelancer at heart has the following qualities, more or less:

A Creative Spirit

Just being able to imagine a life outside the cubicle reveals you have a strong ability to think outside the box. No wonder, you can’t be contained by hierarchies and structures imposed on you by employment. You long to create, to leave a legacy to the world in your own terms.

Adventurous, Risk-Taker

You crave adventure, or at the very least, are willing to take risks for the chance to achieve what’s most important to you: freedom. You’re willing to give up the stability and predictability of a j-o-b if it means being able to live a life by your own design (creative, remember?).

Freedom Lover

You value your personal, creative and financial freedom more than you do security. You don’t mind the occasional (or is it constant?) uncertainty of being “on your own” because the ability to take off to new directions whenever you feel like it is much more fun and fulfilling than knowing you’re receiving X amount of dollars every week.

Independent

You take responsibility for yourself. You don’t blame others when things go wrong. You’re independent. Even though you know you need others to succeed and be happy, you acknowledge that, ultimately, you’re in charge of your personal happiness and success. You take control of your destiny.

Idealistic

You’re an optimist. When everybody else is running around yelling, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” you take a deep breath and seek opportunities where others see none. You believe that you have something to offer the world, something so valuable that you will never go hungry (well, at least not for long). You have a dream and you believe it will come true.

If you see these qualities in yourself, then you know why you’ve been unhappy in your job, even though you may have been making more money than you’ve ever dreamed of.

Now you know why you’ve been feeling like your soul was being sucked out of you as you sat in your cushy office.

Now you know why you were always looking for something else, something more… and it wasn’t the next step in the corporate ladder.

You’re a freelancer at heart. Go and live your dream.

PS: Do you believe there is such as a thing as a freelancing personality? If so, what qualities does a freelancing personality have? Did I miss any? Post your thoughts in the comments box below.

PPS: I’ve been living my dream for nearly 18 months now and the journey has been more awesome than I ever expected. I’d love to help you live your dream, too. Sign up for my monthly cost-free, pitch-free webinars. See you there!

photo credit: Shahram Sharif