I say this, because my neighbour’s cat spends an awful lot of time at our house, both inside and out. That’s his choice. Although he’s owned (in the way we understand the meaning of that word) elsewhere; to him, he’s freelance. He engages the world on his own terms.
Now his owners, (our friends and neighbours) are lovely people and are fully comfortable with this arrangement. But I suspect that we’re not unique in having been adopted. This cat is not daft. I’d wager that he’s got contingency plans and has adopted a neighbour – or three – in addition to us, lest we dared to have plans of our own.
And even then, I may be falling foul of a massive assumption. The assumption that we’re first choice, and any alternative is the back-up plan. Now I think about it, knowing this cat as well as I do, (18 years), I’m fully confident he sees all us neighbours, as interchangable, equal options.
He’s a canny cat. And having spent so much time with him over the years; having watched him, played with him and generally shared space with him, it dawned on me that I can learn a lot from him. Especially when it comes to business, and specifically, the business of freelancing. In fact, he’s nailed most aspects of my working world.
Networking: For a start, as mentioned, he puts himself out there. He introduces himself and builds alliances. With some more than others, granted, but don’t we all? A big part of his security comes from the strength of his network. Every freelancer I know works hard to avoid becoming an island, which, if neglected, is an easy place to end up.
Bravery: You’ve got to be prepared to fight your corner in the land of freelance. I have on occasion taken clients to court for non-payment, and have walked away from business because, well… I wasn’t prepared to put up with the toxicity that came with it. This cat looks at the odds – and does it anyway. He’ll think nothing of standoffs with squirrels (basically a bushy tailed rat but with much bigger teeth), magpies (psychos) and even a fox. A fox!!! The cat has kahunas.
Confidence: Heavily linked to the point above, but it’s more about general self-belief than being in ‘fight’ mode. If this cat’s interest is piqued, he just thinks, ‘Yeah, I’ll have a bit of that’. Then leaps off a shed roof to try and catch a bird mid-flight. How’s that for self-belief? Freelancing without confidence is the pathway to despair.
Unfazed by failure: Not everything goes as planned in business, particularly as a freelancer. You don’t have the infrastructure of a large organisation, and pitching for work can be a heavy investment with no guarantees. Does the cat care if he doesn’t get that bird in flight? Nah. There’s plenty more feathered fast food in the sky. Us freelancers can’t dwell on what didn’t happen. Learn from it and move on.
Communication: Comms can often be about tone of voice. It can be a subtle nuance between something landing as intended and not getting close to the results you want. This cat has nuance by the bucket load. I can tell the difference between the meow that’s just an, ‘Oy-Oy – how’s tricks?’ and the one that says, ‘Errr… ‘scuse me – starving down here!’ There’s even one for just give me some fuss. But my favourite is when he opens his mouth and gently rests his teeth on my hand for half a second. Some may say that’s a bite. It’s not. That means, ‘Yeah… that’s enough of that.’
When to switch off: Super important as a freelancer. The precarious nature of work can mean you feel the need to jump on any communication or request as soon as it comes in, regardless of whether you’re supposed to be enjoying some R&R. This cat factors switching off into every day. Hourly even. R&R is high on his list of non-negotiables. I like that.
Being Selective: Again, linked to the above. There can be a danger for a freelancer to want to go for everything, because there’s always a sense that you never know where the next meal is coming from. This cat picks and chooses when he goes for a bird, mouse, frog or anything else that moves under its own steam. Some days it’s a yes. Others, whatever it is, gets away with an access all areas pass. It’s not true about the next meal thing, btw. But our brains are hard wired to assume scarcity – which is a threat to survival. We just need several more million years of evolution for a re-wire.
Persistence & patience: He can wait for hours having seen a mouse run into a hidey hole, or in badgering me to play with him, repeatedly getting in my face. Literally. Walking over my laptop and playing with my own mouse. In the end I give up trying to ignore him and just engage. I wonder how many client relationships start that way?
There are many more lessons but if you’re still reading, you’ll have hopefully got the point. This cat’s got character, is a character, and is the epitome of the characteristics needed for life in the freelance lane. Thank you for your teachings my wise, well-balanced, feline friend.
Now… where’s my mouse gone..?