Your time is valuable, your work is valuable, your talent is valuable.

You’re working on your own because you think you’re the best person for the job and by golly, gee whiz you want to do the jobs that use your talents to their fullest! Well then Tex, you better start taking your peace of mind a bit more seriously, because if you don’t, it will be a long time before anyone else does.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed as an entrepreneur. You’re dealing with vendors, you’re dealing with clients, you’re dealing with impatient, busy people who are looking out for interests that almost never line up with your own.

How do you keep your house in order? The first step is to stop thinking that every job that pays well and shows up at your door is right for you. You’re Brookstone not Wal*Mart and you’re at your best when you’re working for someone who knows why they hired you.

Most of your problems as a freelancer will come from clients whose work you shouldn’t have accepted in the first place. They don’t understand your strengths, they don’t understand their goals and they are looking to throw money at problems they haven’t clearly defined. In the best of cases, these kinds of jobs are a grind, sapping the strength that you desperately need — in the worst cases, they are a soul-crushing reminder of all the reasons you broke out on your own in the first place.

The best solution to this problem is to select your clients carefully, dig into their goals and decide whether their project is one that meets your standards of quality. If something rubs you the wrong way, have the courage to politely inform them of your misgivings and either alter the proposal so it makes sense to you or if it’s unsalvageable, walk away from the deal.

Yes, I am telling you that sometimes you have to be willing to give up money for peace of mind. Not every trashcan full of bills dumped on your front lawn is worth diving into.

If you are willing to give up jobs that aren’t for you, not only will it leave your calendar free for work that is actually meaningful to you but the overall quality of your portfolio will begin to improve. People don’t want to hire someone willing to jump at every quarter, they want to see that you’re as picky about taking on work as they are about doling it out. They also want to see a portfolio that shows consistent, high-quality performance and the best way to deliver that is to care deeply about each and every job that you’re contracted to complete.

Next time you’re contacted out of the blue for a job, ask yourself whether you can see yourself pouring your blood, sweat and effort into it. If you can’t, have the strength and foresight to walk away. You’ll gain back what you lose a hundred fold.

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