I’m glad I went because what she said really got under my skin.

I was anticipating sunny, glowing tarot cards predicting wealth and a prosperous future (really I was). But my enthusiasm was quickly quelled when I saw dark cards appearing out of nowhere.

Where was my happy and successful freelance future?

After the letdown, the psychic told me that my negative self-talk was sabotaging my success. Yep, that pretty much hit me where it hurt.

As a freelancer, have you ever just had one of those days? Or a whole row of them? Times when you worry if you’ll ever make it? Wonder if you’ll be able to pay the bills?

When a single negative thought becomes an outpour of pessimistic thinking, you need to stop, readjust and fill your head with hope and possibility instead.

The awakening moment for me came when she then asked, “What would happen if you stopped worrying?”

She then had me pick another card.

You won’t believe what I got!

Wealth!

That was enough to get me from under the gray clouds and back into the ray of sunshine. If you’re having trouble with hope too, find ways to create a brighter future by adding reminders:

1. I get newsletters from positive sites like Beliefnet.com
2. Read old emails/letters from satisfied customers
3. Meditate
4. Take a break
5. Talk about it with supportive friends and fellow freelancers

Now it’s your turn.

What do you do keep freelancing blues at bay?

Surprised?

I wasn’t. Here’s why:

I recently did an experiment for The Joy Diet (week 6 treat week) where I had to indulge in two treats a day. While I admit that a few times during the week “treats” meant something sweet, a sugar coma eventually forced me to find alternative ways to fulfill the condition. Eventually I realized that all work and no play wasn’t a good thing. In fact, it got me further away from my goals.

I think the difficulty with us work at home, freelancing folks is that we can really never do enough.

There’s always invoices to create, work that needs to be done and marketing calls to make. This makes it all the more important to refocus and do the very opposite we think needs to be done. Spend time doing nothing, do something fun.

On the Oprah show last week, guests like Buddy Valestro a.k.a. The Cake Boss and J. Crew executive creative director Jenna Lyons talked about their glamorous dream jobs. While their amazingly decadent careers made me drool, it was their passion that really excited me. And then a light bulb went off. It’s not that they worked super hard, but that they were playing hard that really got to me. Doing something fun and being good at it could mean a dream career. We just have to play to discover it.

It could also be a great diversion that can make you more productive.

Being writers, at least for me, means that I need to step away from my computer every once in awhile. I don’t have to do something grand, but sometimes just hanging up the laundry can give me enough of a break for me to come up with my next article idea.

The takeaway?

It’s important to work hard to be a successful freelancer, but don’t forget the importance of playing hard as well. Give your brain a break and you’ll open the door to possibility. Fill it with busyness (tasks, intense workouts without breaks in between) and there’ll be nothing left to give back.

Try it and see.

Surrounded by boxes of pizza and eager interns, I felt a shock of recognition listening to the communications manager who had agreed to speak to my charges. She said that finding and forging her career path was “simple.”

“I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I was in high school and editor of the school paper. I studied journalism in college and got a job.” She had worked in corporate communications for an international travel outfit, a well-known natural beauty brand and a global coffee company, which is where we met. She added that she’d always been focused on writing and editing, even in high school.

I was, too, in high school. Like my guest speaker, I’d written for the school paper, plus I’d edited the yearbook and competed in journalism contests. So, why was she the head of a communications division and I was wrangling interns?

We made different decisions. I chose a school that didn’t offer a journalism degree, but did provide an independent, unique approach to learning. However, I lost focus and tried a variety of subjects and post-grad jobs, including managing a small business and recruiting. Employers would rave about my writing and find ways to use it, but I didn’t (and they didn’t) see me as a writer.

Inspired by my guest speaker, I started thinking about what I wanted to do with my writing as well as my goals. Several weeks later, I approached her to be my mentor—and less than a year later, she hired me as a writer and editor for her team. Now she’s claimed the title of my “biggest fan.”

Between being the high school journalist, the corporate newsletter editor and the freelance writer I am today, these are the lessons I had to learn twice.

• Dream big. In the late 1980s, I wanted to be the editor-in-chief of Sassy magazine. When I was the fiction editor of my college’s literary magazine, I wanted to be a playwright. And, when I hit the real world, I wanted to pay my rent, so I took temp jobs and lost sight of the big dreams. Once I started focusing on my goals again, I refueled my writing dreams—and started pursuing them.

• Believe in yourself. I was so nervous the first time I turned in a writing assignment to my mentor—and I failed! She told me the style was unnatural, stiff and not at all what she expected from me. I’d used formal business language that I thought I should use. When I revised the assignment, using my gut instincts, my mentor loved it.

Much later, when I was applying for my first writing job, my current manager said, “But you can’t write!” It shocked me to hear those words, but I was determined and still applied. When I got the job, I learned from someone else in my former department that my manager just didn’t want to lose me. Good thing I believed in myself and didn’t let her stop me.

If you want to freelance, you have to believe in yourself. Your clients and prospective clients aren’t going to give you business if they suspect you’re unsure and timid.

• Fight limitations. Growing up in a small Texas town, the writing-related career options presented to me were newspaper editor and journalism teacher. The local newspaper editor even told us to find a better-paying occupation. I was determined to find more options for myself.

Once I worked in corporate communications, the prevailing mentality was that if you wrote for an internal audience, you couldn’t write for an external audience. Are you kidding me? I fought hard to earn assignments that included press releases and other marketing materials.

• Invest in your word skills. My high school journalism teacher enrolled me in contests my very first year—and I continued those contests until I graduated. I didn’t take many writing classes in college, but I certainly relied on those skills to get me good grades. But I took them for granted. It wasn’t until about six years ago that I realized I should keep pushing myself, not just relying on mentors or talent. I took creative writing classes as well as copywriting-related courses and was amazed at the leap my writing took. My clients noticed, too.

Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if I’d followed a journalism or writing path from high school. Most likely, I’d be where I am today. But I’m glad I veered off course, picking up business skills, new subject matter expertise and a diversity of experience. It’s made me a much better freelancer, a more well-rounded writer—and it’s definitely provided me with plenty of juicy tales to tell.

Jesaka Long is a freelance copywriter who’s helped companies craft their stories for nearly 14 years. Based in Denver, she’s known for creating outside-the-lines branding and marketing content for forward-thinking, entrepreneurial companies. She’s also been known to wield a mighty pen for Fortune 500 companies, including Starbucks Coffee Company, REI and Seattle’s favorite software industry leader. Jesaka is also a drama editor for Conclave: A Journal of Character. Connect with her on twitter @jesakalong and through her blog at www.jesakalong.com.

I didn’t know much about Walt Disney except for the fact that he created 2 amazing amusement parks, one in California and the other where I got engaged in Florida. I also felt some kind of weird spiritual connection with the guy. In a way, I thought of him as a hero. Someone who aspired to create something magical in the world and was extremely successful in doing so.

What I learned from the museum was that Mr. Disney was a regular guy with a normal childhood. But he had a dream, a passion that fueled his actions. I learned a great deal about him from the exhibit but was surprised by the jewels of wisdom I garnered within myself.

Here are a few treasures I picked up from the museum, which I hope will inspire other writers, artists and creators to keep pursuing their passion and working on their craft.

1. “I lived on little things I could do on the side to pick up a little money here and there.” Disney started drawing as a child, and worked as a cartoonist for his high school. He continued to pursue drawing in his adult life. When times got tough, like it often does for creatives, he did everything he could to survive. Got to admire someone with that kind of gumption.
2. “Sometimes you’ve got to build yourself up and explode…And then begin to pick up the pieces and take stock.” I love this quote!! There are many times when mistakes and failure feel like the end. Disney, however, picked himself up after every fall and got better. His statement demonstrates to me that failure is a normal process in the pursuit of your dreams.
3. Disney learned from his mistakes. For example, he signed contracts before he read them and trusted people he shouldn’t have. Instead of beating himself up about it or blaming the other people involved, he quickly learned from his mistakes and moved on. As a freelancer, we’re bound to work with people who may not have our best interests at heart. Take a lesson from Disney and spend less time complaining and more time focusing on what you will do to avoid the same situation in the future.
4. He never let others get him down. Disney surrounded himself with people he liked to be around. He was optimistic and had a positive attitude. Several past employees and people who worked with him said he was a pleasure to be with, would talk to anyone, and never criticized those he worked with. Disney was professional and yet kind. What wonderful qualities to exhibit as a freelancer.
5. He kept getting better. At any time, Disney could have said okay I’ve done enough and stopped there. When one of the people he trusted took a year of his earnings he could have said, “That’s it! I’m done.” When he was poor, he could have given up and taken a better paying job. When he was rich, he could have said, “I’m done. Now I can retire.” But he didn’t. When he was successful as a cartoonist or as a film producer, he could have said, “That’s enough.” Instead he kept going.” It wasn’t the money that motivated him it was the dream. And I admire that. As writers we can and should always work on getting better. There’s really know limits for us if we can keep opening ourselves up to growth and possibility. Who knows where we will be a year from now? Hopefully twice as good as we are now!
6. Kindness does indeed pay off. There were a few greedy people in Disney’s past. But the people who helped him out were the ones who were the wealthiest. Those people who tried to take advantage of Disney may have swindled some money but in the end, they will forever be named as the people who tried to steal Disney’s money. On the other hand, one woman who helped him out when he was broke, is not only remembered by her kindness but was not forgotten by Disney who helped her with whatever she needed for the rest of her life. Love that karma.

There was a ton of things I learned from Walt Disney. I think hearing his struggle and success helped validate my own challenges. I realized the difficulties that I face as a freelance writer is not the end of the world. It is just one stepping stone toward my dreams. It also helped bring me perspective. If I can just put one foot in front of the other and rise above the negativity, difficulty and heartbreak that sometimes accompanies writing, I will one day be in the arena of my dreams. Just like Mr. Disney.

Don’t give up just yet! Although it’s tempting to give in to the wave of panic, reacting out of fear won’t make things better. In fact, you might be setting yourself up for future regret.

Think of it this way. Remember when you were single and lonely? Or how about really hungry, let’s say starving? What do you do? You go out and date the first guy or gal that walks through the door or pig out on junk food. Both situations end up hurting rather than helping you reach your goals. You’ll never find the person of your dreams or lose those 10 pounds if you act out of desperation. Instead, maybe we all need to take a deep breath and just believe.

Believe that we’ll get through this hump and stop focusing on that nervous energy telling you that you won’t make it in this industry. The fear is mounting in this country. People are holding on to their jobs like there’s no tomorrow. But we don’t have to give in. Ride the wave of fear and focus instead on working twice as hard. Don’t let it make you desperate. Think positive. And remember, fear is a state of mind. Be one of those people who does well in spite of the economy.