What Mentors Do Not Tell You
Many so-called mentors do not want their students to learn certain things. That is why many freelancers stay stuck or unhappy. Two wrong mindsets to throw out today, and the right ones to keep.
One of the most common questions I get in my DMs is some version of this. “Why am I still stuck even after taking the course?”
I have been there. I was exactly like this when I was starting out. I thought paying for a program meant the path would be clear. It was not. And it took me a while to understand why.
The hard truth is that many so-called mentors do not want their students to know certain things. That is why so many freelancers today are stuck, or unhappy in what they are doing. The promises sounded clean. The reality was different.
I want to throw out two wrong mindsets today. And keep the right ones.
Wrong mindset #1
“You can do this even without experience. You will earn a lot, so enroll now.”
Many of us pick our career path based only on the money. There is nothing wrong with wanting to earn. The motivation is what is wrong.
What if later you find out online selling pays more? What if a different skill pays more? You will lose your focus. You will jump to the next thing. Then to the next. The person who started beside you with focus will get ahead of you.
And what if it gets hard? You will start saying, “I am not cut out for freelancing. I am not as good as them.” That voice is loud, and it is wrong.
Right mindset #1
You can do this if you have the right direction, discipline, and love for what you do. You will earn a lot as you grow.
Action item: discover the skill you love to offer. That is where you start. Not the highest-paying skill. The one you can offer without resenting it. The one you can keep doing on a slow day, a tired day, a sick day.
Wrong mindset #2
“The bigger the pay, the better.”
One of the risks freelancers face is that we do not know when our client will let us go. Maybe their business is losing money. Maybe they found someone cheaper. Maybe management changed. Maybe they decided to outsource to another country.
So even if you are earning a lot right now, that is not a guarantee for the next five years. A high rate today does not protect you from a goodbye email next month.
Right mindset #2
The more expertise you have, the better.
Do not run after money. Do not depend on your clients. Build your skill. When you are good, you will be the one they look for. You will be the one who turns work down. You sustain your own income because you know what you can offer.
Many of us start as general VAs. Discover what tasks you love. Make sure the skill is one that businesses are willing to pay for. The more expert you are, the more they will pay. Grow from there.
It is good to hear from a client, “It is difficult to find someone like you.” Not, “I can find someone else who will do the same for less.”
The difference is this. They are not paying for the work alone. They are paying for you. Your talent. Your personality. Your expertise.
This is also where my faith reframes the whole thing for me. If I chase money first, I will keep changing shape to fit whatever pays. If I build the skill God gave me, with honesty and care, the work becomes an offering before it becomes an invoice. Proverbs has been saying this quietly for centuries: a worker skilled in their craft will stand before kings. That promise is older than any course.
So I would rather be slow and truthful than fast and fragile. I would rather grow a skill I can defend with a clear conscience than ride a trend that needs me to oversell. It is not perfect, but it is our best.
If this was useful, the next mindsets are even harder to throw out. We have many more to go.
For the glory of God.
- Lala