Any time you sincerely want to make a change, the first thing you must do is to raise your standards. When people ask me what really changed my life eight years ago, I tell them that absolutely the most important thing was changing what I demanded of myself. I wrote down all the things I would no longer accept in my life, all the things I would no longer tolerate, and all the things that I aspired to becoming. - Anthony Robbins

That’s a nice quote to start the New Year off with, don’t you think?

As freelancers, we love the idea of setting our own rules, our own standards, our incomes and our own schedules, yet, writer after writer I meet talks about settling for longer, more grueling hours, accepting less pay, and working to a timeline that is dictated by someone else.

I’m no better. There are currently at least two publications that could do with paying me a whole lot more, and I’m getting tired of being kicked around like a football.

I’m declaring this The Year of Not Being Screwed. This year, let’s all vow to make a change and show a bit of attitude. It doesn’t have to be massive, it can be as big as walking away from a contract that doesn’t work for you, to as little as saying, “Is it possible to go higher?” or “I’m sorry, but I don’t work weekends.”

Yes, I need the regular income, but I’m raising the standard of how I expect people to treat me. Will you?