Uphill both ways
A naive dream is that it’s possible to go on a long bike ride–and enjoy the journey going downhill in each direction.
Newton had it right… you’re going to need to go uphill in order to go downhill.
Too often, though, we set up our projects and our freelance life in a way that makes it always an uphill slog. If you don’t build an asset and don’t invest in your reputation, all you’ve got left is grunt work.
The hard work is digging in deeper than usual on the uphills–that’s the best chance you have to earn a downhill later.