Yo work fun nation,

Let’s get this out of the way na agad.

If you're undercharging, overworking, and still hoping clients will magically “see your value,” it's not because you're unskilled. Or less experienced. 

Well some of you in this list probably think you are, but I can say with 100% certainty that YOU are not starting from scratch. 

And no, you're not pricing yourself low “by accident” either.

You're doing it because somewhere in your head—whether you admit it or not— you still think you're not ready for the big time.

That single belief is destroying your freelancing business. 

It decides who you pitch to.

What gigs you pursue.

What rate you quote.

What kind of clients you *allow* yourself to imagine working with.

And until you kill that old identity, you're going to stay stuck.

I know, because I learned this the slow, painful way.

In 20XX, (hay grabe kasi yung reminiscing mode when I put the year in), I was that same freelancer. 

Part-time pa lang ako nun, and I still had a safety net as a corporate slave that time. I looked forward to the weekend, kasi I was also a videographer and video editor doing gigs by then. 

Mejo maliit pa psychological wallet ko nun and I was stuck working in the budget meal zone. 

I actually charged a client 10k pesos for a whole wedding video in Tagaytay, which I shot and edited myself. Alone na dapat 3-person team at least. As in I brought 3 cameras, several tripods, even an actual old school crane to the venue. (No same day edit.) 

Here’s the receipt. (Shucks 12 years ago na pala to, alam nyo na tuloy.)

Granted noob ako nun and I didn’t know jack shit about technicals when it came to shooting wedding videos, at least I was a storytelling geek. But.. even that price was too low pala. 

Kaya pala they said yes agad. 

But looking back now? That wasn’t just a pricing problem.

It was an identity problem.

My hidden internal narrative was simply: “I’m a struggling Pinoy freelancer”

I shit you not. I actually still have this shirt. Memorabilia na lang now, kasi di na kasya. haha this photo was clearly many pounds and years ago.

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you’d know that I'm a really corny guy. As in I take pride in cracking jokes simply for the mental exercise and word play... and the annoyance of people around me. 

I’d intentionally have the shirts custom made para may built-in ice breaker ako whenever I attended networking events. In fairness, effective sya in making new friends. 

It seemed to be all fun and games back then, but little did I realize I was cementing an identity in my head na pala. 

I was even broadcasting it to the world. Uggh

I made decisions based on that na pala.

I priced gigs like that.

I carried myself like that.

Even second-guessed myself like that. 

And of course, the market responded in kind.

It wasn’t until I did something that went against that identity—something that felt weird at the time, mayabang even.. that things shifted.

Some years after that video gig, naging online freelancer na ako. 

And I tested email marketing as an offer for a local ecomm brand and priced a few email sequences for $800 + some commish. 3 sequences. 8 hours of work, tops. 

And guys, yung $800 na was huuuge for me na back then in 2017, kasi wala naman nag-guide sakin to tell me that it was okay to charge MORE even if you ACTUALLY work LESS. 

Not like the people we coach these days who come out of the gate charging $2k usd per month. Think about it.

Before that, I used to grind 12-hour video editing sessions for $100. Di mo din pupulutin yung pera na yan sa daan. 

This gig however, was a 1100% increase in my hourly rate!@!%$!%

The scariest part?

The client didn’t even bat an eyelash. 

As soon as I sent the proposal, they PMed me agad.

That line “ok il process the payment” cracked my internal narrative.

And in that moment, I realized something I’ve never forgotten:

You don’t wait to feel like a pro before you act like one. You don’t need to work more to earn more. 

You act like a professional first.

You work smart.

You take the risk.

And then your identity — yung self-image mo mismo — starts to catch up.

Most freelancers never do this.

They’re waiting to feel ready.

Waiting for someone to see their value before they own it themselves.

But readiness doesn’t come.

Action comes first.

Identity follows.

And income is brought up as a side effect.

So here’s what you can do right now, .

Look at your day-to-day habits.

* Are you stalking job boards and competing on giving the lowest prices?

* Are you still afraid to pitch premium clients because they “might laugh at you”?

* Are you charging “safe” rates because rejection terrifies you?

* Are you saying yes to nightmare projects because you’re scared it’s the last offer you’ll get?

Those aren’t just bad habits.

They’re part of your identity right now.

Every time you play it small, you reinforce the belief:

“This is all I’m worth.”

And every time you *act bigger than you feel*, you chip away at the old story.

Listen

You don’t need another template.

Or a mindset journal.

Or a productivity hack.

You need to stop letting the old version of you run the show.

Try this instead:

* Quote the price that makes your stomach flip (kahit a little.)

* Reach out to the dream client you’ve been silently stalking on LinkedIn.

* Post the case study you’ve been too shy to share.

* Set a boundary. Raise your rate. Say no to the desperate offer.

It won’t feel natural. Not at first.

In fact, it will feel fake.

Like you’re pretending.

But that’s the work.

You do the thing that feels slightly too big for you.

And then—slowly—you become the person who does that kind of thing.

That’s how identity changes.

That’s how rates rise.

That’s how respect happens—both self-respect and client respect.

Aaaah, ang haba na ng email na tooh! 

So here’s the only question that matters today:

What’s one action your future successful self would take—right now?

Pick one. Then do it.

Even if your voice shakes. Even if it feels too early.

Especially then.

That’s the price of growth.

Let’s stop waiting for someone to crown us.

You don’t need permission.

Do the thing. Break the story.

The identity will follow.

Shoden “Let Your Actions Do The Talking” San

P.S. Incidentally, I also talk about much of this stuff in v2 of my How to Stop Self-Sabotage for Pinoy Freelancers Ebook. Konti pa lang nagreply the other day sa “sabotante ako!” na keyword so I’ll give it another shot. Reply with “action star ako!” and tell me what action you’re taking.

🎉 Pst. Don't Keep Me A Secret. refer this newsletter to your freelancer friends. This REALLY REALLY helps me a lot, thanks! Or if you're done referring and you just want to buy me some coffee, I won't stop you.