Be a fighter ... sometimes

I'd say on the whole, my personality is more oriented towards calmness and a "zen" mindset. At least, that's what I aspire to.

You probably get that sense in my emails where I advise you to not force things, let time do its thing, not sweat the small stuff, etc.

BUT, I will say that on occasion, it's useful to channel the energy of a fighter, someone who is excited by the prospect of a fight and the subsequent victory.

For example, if you find yourself blocked by some bureaucrat at the prime's company to getting your 1099 gig, instead of getting discouraged, you can tell yourself "screw that, I'm going to win and not let this jerk prevent me from going 1099."

This defiance can give you energy, which lets you think creatively about ways to overcome obstacles. Maybe you find another contact at the company. Maybe you threaten to walk away from the project when you know they need you. Maybe you tell the guy you have a very particular set of skills...

If you can be zen maybe 80% of the time and then an aggressive fighter the other 20% of the time, you can achieve that nice balance of psychological stability while still pushing things forward to get that 1099 gig you want.

Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.