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Tag: explore

11 reasons to work for free

“Why do you work for free?”

I hear this question often, especially after having volunteered for five years in Nepal. Most creatives, freelancers, and entrepreneurs will face this very same question at some point in their careers.

Should I work for free? Should I participate in this unpaid project? Should I volunteer my time?

Working for free can come with many benefits. Here are my top nine:

  1. Connections
  2. Personal satisfaction
  3. Appreciation
  4. Experience
  5. Opportunity
  6. Exposure
  7. Growth and development
  8. Supporting something irreplaceable
  9. Building your resume
  10. Changing careers
  11. Exploring new interests

Yes, absolutely, work for free. But choose projects and commitments mindfully, with the utmost respect for your valuable time.

More reading:

Find what fuels you

art
music
nature
fixing
writing
walking
helping
praying
laughing
tinkering
exploring
reading
hiking
organizing
scultping
discovering
drawing
planting
analyzing
dancing
donating
planning
dreaming
yoga
hosting
gardening
meditating
sewing
giving
playing
cleaning
running
loving
singing
crafts
gratitude
building
painting
connecting
do more of that.

Life gives you cycles, embrace them

The natural world has visible cycles. Earth lies fallow but with rain, new plants sprout to life. Leaves fall and spring comes again. Inhales and exhales.

This same life force runs through you.

We exhale in order to breathe.

Sometimes you feel alive and energetic and awake. Other times you feel tired, alone, and shy.

Why do we chase away darkness instead of learning to dance with it? Or sit with it? Or embrace it?

Lulls never last.

Give yourself the space to grieve. To take time off. To rest.

Make yourself a priority. Follow that which sets your imagination on fire. Permit yourself the gift of excitement.

Rhythms should be celebrated.

Take care of yourself.

Let go

Let go of the plan that doesn’t work anymore. Just because things haven’t panned out quite as you expected them to doesn’t mean you’re not doing well. Or that you’ve fallen off track. Sometimes you need to release your grip and see what life brings.

You have an opportunity — today, tomorrow, a week from now — to let go of the habits that no longer serve you. To try a new approach, to practice a new behavior, to learn something different.

When you let go, you open up space in your life for new directions, new connections, new results, and unexpected surprises. Go. See where life takes you.