by: JC Aquino

Written under the rays of the last days of the Mediterranean summer, where the days seem longer, and there is this embrace of air that reminds you that a change of season is bound to happen soon. While the vapor of a freshly brewed latte swirls in harmony with Elton John’s “Your Song.” Where the seagulls and pigeons compete for the bread thrown by the children outside my abode. Stray cats patiently looking outside, waiting for something that only their bright sapphire eyes can see.

Aside from being an avid traveler and storyteller, I was able to immerse myself in the challenging world of freelancing, specifically on Upwork. As a freelancer, it gave me the autonomy to pursue whatever I wanted, and it made me realize that treading your own path and the limits that come with it completely depend on your mindset. Being a freelancer for more than a decade has allowed me to establish a sense of rootedness through which I found my niche and calling and earned something from it.

The pandemic that was truly unprecedented and is still ongoing at the time of this writing really took a toll in everyone’s lives in more ways than one. It can be physiological, mental, emotional, and even spiritual. The travel and hospitality scene has sustained the most impact, while the healthcare industry has really been tested for its resilience as the cases keep on rising and falling and then rising again.

When we launched The Panoramic Soul in a year where everything was normal, far removed from the havoc wreaked by the past two consecutive years dominated by the pandemic, it sprung from a passion to let others experience a greater sense of fulfillment by seeing different places and capturing stories during those adventures. That is why we launched The Travel Intern Series, through which we selected two winners in the fourth season that was concluded last year. Now that the luggage has been shelved for the time being, and travel plans are placed on hold indefinitely, the only thing we can do is to remain optimistic while finding the light at the end of the tunnel.

Last year, I got the privilege of engaging myself more with the freelancing community, which gave me a landscape comprising thousands of individuals with different aspirations in life, some not even having a full grasp of what freelancing is all about. I took that by heart, and aside from the time I devoted to answering inquiries and other concerns, I got an idea … why not choose a select few that I can help have a better grasp of and better chance in freelancing?

And so I did. This pandemic gave me a life motto, which is to go where I am celebrated, and I have decided to push and inspire others to find their own definition of success by starting somewhere … and to teach them the fundamentals of freelancing. This course runs for almost six weeks, aiming to train individuals to become better freelancers rather than just being a technical or niche-specific course. This is what I’ve noticed in most freelancers today; most of them are skilled, but they don’t know how to properly market themselves.

Week 1: The Foundation of Motivation | The Blessings of Stress | Basic Freelancing Skills Exercises
Week 2: Handling Difficult Interviews
Week 3: Individual Profile Optimization
Week 4: Group Parallel Job Hunting
Week 5: Individual Parallel Job Hunting

This also opened a door for me when I was invited to speak during the Upwork Expert Event last June. A webinar was hosted by the ever-gracious Upwork Ambassador to the Philippines, Ms. Avery Ocumen. That was perhaps one of the highlights of my freelancing journey.

At the time of this writing, I have received over a thousand applications, but I was only able to admit almost a hundred. From there, fifty-seven trainees successfully completed the course —fifty-seven individuals who really know what they want, their goals, and their dreams. This endeavor allowed me to appreciate what I have more and made me realize how the law of attraction and proper mindset can do wonders. I experienced it firsthand, and I believe it now more than ever.

In any journey that you wish to pursue, anything is possible with the right frame of mind. Remember that you are limitless, as long as you believe in the beauty of your dreams and the power of your abilities.