Patience pays.
But how do you know when it stops paying and you lose the opportunity to pull the trigger?
The concept of opportunity cost has been on my mind a lot lately. Say your gig that started four months ago was to have lasted “maybe a couple of months” and is fast becoming a 40-hour-per-week commitment_with no end in sight. You’re grateful and pleased that they like your work. And?
You finally have a master plan, for career, life: shift your pretty successful freelance editorial services business to focus on copywriting, reportedly one of the most lucrative forms of writing. You had begun training for this new career in earnest in anticipation of the aforementioned gig’s ending. You’d planned to take time off from projects with existing clients to devote, say, a solid month to learning the copywriting craft. But that gig, it keeps expanding into that future.
You’re good at the work you’re doing for this client, and the comfort level is high. There is enjoyment in helping this client produce high-quality publications. All tugging you back to stick with that kind of work, not pursue the other.
Do you…?
Take a moment. You know you’re gonna be good_actually, really good_at copywriting. It’s that strategic risk scenario you didn’t know you’d recognize if it emerged.
Well, here it is, my friend. It’s not the kind of risk you contemplate when you consider buying that new car that you maybe can, maybe can’t afford. No, it’s a game changer. It’s not about digging yourself into a hole; it’s about digging yourself a dark hole in your soul if you don’t capitalize on what is before you.
The ongoing gig is helping you save for that time when you can break away from this client and others like it to study, train, practice. But at what point does that time spent become opportunity cost?
I’m a big believer in you’ll know it when you see it. Pay attention.
Awareness pays, too.
