Things you can't control as a 1099
Understanding what you can control, can't control, and can influence is an important life skill. It helps you to focus your efforts in a productive direction while reducing your anxiety.
In the 1099 world, this is especially important because many things are outside of your control, even though you want them to be.
Here are a few examples.
Things you can't control
- Whether someone responds to your e-mail
- How fast a prime pushes through paperwork
- How fast a government contracting officer (CO) pushes through paperwork
- Contract funding getting cut
- Change of personnel (prime PM, government clients, etc)
- Security clearance processing times
- Your client's personality
- Your client's organizational culture
Conversely, there are things you can control or influence and you should focus on them.
Things you can control or influence
- Writing polite e-mails with clear calls to action
- Developing professional leverage (skills, relationships)
- Builidng financial leverage (savings buffer)
- Improving your negotiation skills
- Learning how to find 1099 opportunities
- Learning how to navigate organizational structures
- Improving your technical skills
- Improving your soft skills
Don't beat your head against a wall by worrying about things you can't control. Focus on the latter list and you'll make far more progress and with less stress.
Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.