The Freelance Writer's Guide to Dominating Your Writing Market - Part Three

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The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Dominating Your Writing Market – Part Three

The Strength of Humility and Vulnerability (And What it Can Do For Your Freelance Writing Business)  

Written by Freelance Writer and Author, William Ballard

Welcome to part three of this Freelance Writer’s Guide to Dominating Your Writing Market series. I thank you for spending this time with me and allowing me to share with you my heart and the insights that I have gained over the years since my writing business has been in operation.

I know that in most freelance writing articles that are written on subjects of growing your business and becoming successful, rarely address certain vital ethics that are necessary to actually see growth and success in your business. And the majority of the time those articles usually are about being prideful in your work and what you bring to the table.

Now, I am not at all against being confident about your writing ability and the value you have to offer, but I do have a problem with being prideful. In fact, I heard someone once say, “The greatest achievement that you obtain through pride will also be your greatest downfall.”

Whether or not you want to believe that is up to you, but personally, I would not want to even test such slippery slopes.

Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18)

The majority of my followers and readers do have some kind of faith based background, but for those of you who are new and who do not claim to be a believer in any sort of the term may not understand what I am about to tell you. Or may not able to recall the story that I am about to share with you. However, I will be sharing some scriptural references so that you may look them up on your own time or, if you like, you can follow along in your Bible as your read this post.

Isaiah 14:12-14 (KJV)

12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

As you can see from above, I am referring to the prideful and haughty spirit of Lucifer, or what he is most commonly known as today – Satan or Devil.

Because of pride, Satan was cast out of Heaven (the highest place) and was made the head of hell (the lowest place). And there he will remain for all eternity.
If that is the fate that Satan got from a prideful spirit, what fate do you think your writing business will have if you possess the same spirit?

Of course, I am not saying that your writing business is going to go to hell if you remain to have a prideful and haughty spirit, but what I am saying is that the end result of pride will always be at the lowest level.

The Bible goes on to say the following:

Psalm 37:11 (KJV)

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

Don’t Confuse Meekness for Weakness

Even though I am sad to admit it, the majority of people do make the mistake in confusing meekness for weakness.

However, that is an incorrect definition or judgment of the term. Meekness is another way of saying humble, kind, patient, and/or gentle. Other synonyms for meekness are forbearing and calm. In fact, these are qualities or characteristics of the Spirit of God.

Galatians 5:22-23 (KJV)

22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

I wrote in my book, The True Writer’s Life, the following statement:

“When trying to articulate the power of meekness (or weakness as we most commonly misunderstand it as) and humility I always like to say: ‘There is nothing more gentle than true strength and nothing stronger than true gentleness!’”

Paul wrote the following to the church in Corinthian:

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:9–10).

Notice the words in red.

These are the words of Jesus Christ (God in the flesh). And He makes it perfectly clear that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (meekness).

The following is an excerpt from The True Writer’s Life:

For so many years, people have confused meekness for weakness. For centuries, people have given up the power of weakness and humility for manufactured strength and the power of man to achieve certain heights in life. However, this so-called power of man, in comparison to the power of God, is in the likeness of a motorized remote control car in comparison to a 1,000-ton military tank.

The Bible said that when we are weak, He (Jesus) is made strong. Could that possibly mean that the weaker we get, meaning the more obedient and humble we are before Him, the stronger He gets in our favor? We could never come close to achieving what God (Jesus) could achieve by Himself! Even if the eight billion people on Earth came together to achieve one unified goal, it would never compare to what God (Jesus) could do alone!

I am reminded of a movie entitled Facing the Giants (AFF) that was done by Sherwood Baptist Church. In one scene there was a young man having a conversation with his father discussing the possibility of joining the high school football team. The dilemma that the young man was facing was that he was much smaller than the other young men on the team. The young man asked his dad, “Why did God make me so small?”

His father responded by saying, “In order to show everyone else just how big He is.”

There is the same revelation and profundity of God’s glory in the story of David and Goliath. Here is a young man (a boy) coming to face the nine-foot giant, Goliath. However, David had a secret weapon that Goliath was oblivious to; he came with the name of the Lord of Host (the power of God) and the strength of God!

The Strength of Humility and Vulnerability

When Jesus’s ministry was beginning, more people were beginning to follow Him rather than John the Baptist, but instead of getting jealous or defensive, John said these words, “I must decrease and He must increase”.

John was not forgotten nor did he lose his anointing. He simply humbled himself.

Becoming humble and vulnerable is not a sign of weakness but a sign of true strength and courage. It takes a greater amount of strength to refrain from pride or violence and remain gentle and kind.

Becoming humble and vulnerable is just another way of showing that you are a real human being (authentic).

When Joseph (the Dreamer) of the Bible began to focus more on helping others with their dreams, then, and only then, did he begin to actually fulfill his dream of being second in command of Egypt.

That, in fact, is a perfect example of what this series is all about. When you help others succeed you are also helping yourself succeed in the process.

Today’s Take Aways and Action Steps

1. Remember this phrase, write it down and pin it up on your wall if you have to -"There is nothing more gentle than true strength and nothing stronger than true gentleness."
2. Don't confuse meekness for weakness for there is great strength in meekness - There are two kinds of humility one of which is being forced to be humble which we know is being humiliated, but the other is to make the choice to be humble which shows power in meekness. The Bible also mentions how the humble shall be exalted.

Now Over to You...

If you have never considered these points before I submit to you today that you should strive to be more humble and vulnerable in your writing business because these are qualities of authentic human beings.

One cannot show signs of courage without first show signs of vulnerability and transparency.

Has this article added value to your freelance writing or writing business? If so, please share how in the comments below. And don't forget to share with those you think might benefit from these tips.

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This article is part of the Freelance Writer's Guide to Dominating Your Writing Market series

Series Table of Contents:

The Freelance Writer's Guide to Dominating Your Writing Market - Part One
The Freelance Writer's Guide to Dominating Your Writing Market - Part Two
The Freelance Writer's Guide to Dominating Your Writing Market - Part Three (This Article)
The Freelance Writer's Guide to Dominating Your Writing Market - Part Four 

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About the Author
William Ballard is the proud author of, "The True Writer's Life: Discovering the Author and Finisher of Our Faith".

He has been writing professionally for over 10+ years and has much experience within the industry, both in publishing and in freelance writing. He has successfully self-published over 10 books and eBooks. Visit his Amazon Author Page to see list of his most recent projects.

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