I spent the past week with a group of world class entrepreneurs and an olympian gold medalist in rural Iceland. Surrounded by so much talent, I was in awe of how so many individuals are stepping up to lead and create change.

The rumors about our generation being entitled and lazy are far from the truth.

Millennials are successful—we make up 23% of the world’s millionaires.

We’re responsible for founding more businesses than any generation before us, and we’ve played a huge role in shifting the trend towards social impact.

What’s beneath our success?

I believe at the root of it is our commitment to turn inward and invest in ourselves while bringing awareness to our environment. Inner work is a key element to outer success. Which is why millennial millionaires like Airbnb’s founders Brian Chesky, Nathan Blecharczyk, and Joe Gebbia credit personal development as a significant factor to their growth.

Could personal development help propel you towards greater advancement in your career and income?

I spoke with one millennial who says it can. Meet Sydney Campos, a leading transformation mentor who supports young entrepreneurs with comprehensive holistic wellness, business strategy, and mindset mastery. She’s also a former NYC-agency ad & PR consultant, a certified yoga teacher and reiki energy healer, and an avid traveler who currently calls Ubud, Bali home base.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Campos takes us behind-the-scenes of her success.

Just one year ago, Campos was a typical millennial working as a consultant. She says her income surged when she decided to quit her job and launch her own practice, which, in the last few months alone, has netted $150k.

Let’s dive into Sydney’s world to see how the millionaire mind thinks.

You Are Worth What You Think You’re Worth

Psychologists have long known about the relationship between self-worth and money. What they find with those who tend to have more wealth is that these people also have a high sense of self-worth. In other words, net worth and self worth go hand-in-hand.

“The amount of money you are able to hold and receive is directly correlated to how you are feeling worthy in your life and the way you value your services. Worthy of receiving on all levels—not just money but worthy of receiving love and healthy, nourishing relationships. All these things that seemingly don’t feel connected to money are actually intrinsically related to the amount of money you are able to receive in your business,” Campos says.

To increase your sense of self-worth, Campos says it’s important to have self-awareness about the areas in your life where you’re not being a stand for yourself.

In 2015, 94% of millennials said they made a commitment to personal improvement, and would be willing to spend a significant portion of their income on developing themselves. Are you one of them?

Honor Your Own Boundaries

Holding personal boundaries around your time and energy is essential. We often don’t think twice about surrounding ourselves with people who drain us rather than replenish us. But if you’re aspiring to 7-figures, you’ll need to hold a much tighter container around how you give away your time and yourself—time is a precious resource and you need to be resourced to show up fully to your commitments.

Mark Zuckerberg says, “The question I ask myself most every day is ‘Am I doing the most important thing I could … I can help with, then I’m not going to feel good about how I’m spending my time.”

For a direct application, ask yourself, “What are the relationships in your life where you’re giving more of yourself than you’re getting in return?” Campos suggests.

Act In The Face Of Fear

While 64% of millennials say they can’t see themselves becoming a millionaire, I’d wager they still want to.

Campos says if she had listened to her self-limiting thoughts, she would have stayed in her old job and would never be earning what she is today.

“We’ve been conditioned to listen to our first-presenting thought which is usually rooted in a fear, a scarcity, a doubt, an old pattern, an old imprint,” Campos says. “Even if you’re afraid, even if you’re resistant, even if you’re not sure how things are going to work, you take the action anyways.”

Working for someone else could be an inhibitor to accumulating wealth quickly as a young person. 82% of women making $100k annually are self-made, earning money through direct sales.

Campos recommends getting out of your comfort zone and into action. Create a concrete plan to save more, launch a business, or get a mentor—anything you know will shatter stagnicity and hold you accountable to your goals.

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This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

In the world of freelancing, many of us are all too familiar with the pressure to hustle, pay bills, and “make it.”

I remember a time in my early twenties when I was struggling and would take almost any gig I could get just to make ends meet. On any given day I would be website coding, coaching clients, making marketing funnels, or finding tenants for rental properties.

Currently, one in three US workers are freelancing, with that number projected to rise to one in two by 2020.

The flexible hours, no boss or office, and no fixed wage are just a few of the perks that have attracted so many to freelancing. Not to mention, 61% of freelancers say they’re happier now than they were as an employee.

But freelancing, like anything, has its pitfalls—and it’s essential to be aware of them if you want to succeed.

That’s why I spoke to an expert about what it takes to be successful as a freelancer. He’s built quite the reputation for himself in a particularly competitive field.

Meet Jeff Toyne, a Canadian-born composer who has worked on major film productions like Nine Eleven, the new release starring Whoopi Goldberg and Charlie Sheen; DirecTV’s Rogue, My Little Pony The Movie, and various titles for Lifetime, Hallmark, and The Discovery Channel.Toyne is no stranger to the hustle. As a composer, he says he’s interacted with occasionally needing to do what he had to in order to “keep the lights on,” especially before he caught his first big break.

This week on the Unconventional Life Podcast, Toyne shares strategies for navigating the challenges of freelancing, which, in spite of being risky, can also be incredibly rewarding—because there’s no substitute for doing what you love.

Below, read Toyne’s 5 mistakes to avoid for playing the field as a freelancer.

1. Don’t wait until your portfolio is perfect. Toyne says a major stumbling block of his was believing he didn’t have a shot until his demo was flawless. “I had just got out of school, and I was trying to perfect it for these filmmakers. It took me a year before I got in touch with them, and when I finally did they said,’It’s a shame didn’t have your number. We were making a movie but we didn’t have your number so we got someone else to do it,’” Toyne recalls.

Don’t let opportunities pass you by because you don’t yet feel ready. You might be surprised by someone’s willingness to work with you, even if you don’t have all of your materials the way you’d like them to be. Instead, seize the moment and pursue opportunities that may feel even a few steps out of your league. This approach can actually help you build your portfolio in the process.

2. Don’t be a snob about the gigs you accept. Let’s face it—with freelancing, you don’t always have your work lined out for you. There’s no built-in sense of security. But that’s part of the thrill.

Occasionally, you may have to accept jobs that aren’t your first choice, but will help you gain relevant experience and lay the foundation for getting better jobs later on. “Until your big break comes and connects you to this random opportunity, there’s all sorts of things you can do to keep the lights on and work close to what you want to be doing in the meantime,” says Toyne. “It’s possible to do work that may not be the exact job you want to do but it’s in the industry you want to do. It’s a way to keep your skills sharp. There is no ‘path;’ you need to put yourself out there for different opportunities.”

3. Don’t forget to outsource. Don’t waste your time fumbling with tasks you don’t specialize in. Instead, do some independent contracting of your own, and hire somebody else to do it for you. You’ll become more efficient and have more time to dedicate yourself to your craft.

Toyne says social media is a headache for him, so he outsources it. “I’m busy writing the music, but I want people to know what I’m doing so I have somebody help me get the word out.

4. Don’t underestimate the power of relationships. As a freelancer, you might find you’re not directly connected to the people in a project who could really elevate you. For Toyne, he says he’ll spend weeks composing the post-production scores for a film but won’t see the actors or director face-to-face until the red carpet.

If this is the case, you’ll need to put in extra effort to make yourself known and nurture those connections. Don’t be passive or assume they’ll happen on their own; take initiative. “You want to interact and socialize with the people you’re working with… they are a great source of leads,” Toyne recommends.

5. Don’t try to do it all alone. It can be invaluable to get in community with others like you. You can learn what others are doing that’s working and potentially collaborate on projects that are mutually beneficial. Plus, as a freelancer, you may be missing the fact that you don’t have built-in coworkers or an office populated with people. Socialization is key, so make sure to join groups and guilds that put you in touch with others like you. Toyne says he’s a member of a composer’s guild and a director’s guild in Canada.

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