I make $3,000 a month from freelancing, and am still labeled 'unstable'

I still remember the first time I quit my corporate job to become a freelancer. I was sitting in a café working when my mother called and asked, "Are you still working? One of my friends said they saw you sitting outside that coffee shop all day. Did you quit your job?"

I laughed and told her I was working. Back then, I didn't even know how to explain freelancing to my parents.

A man edits images on multiple computers. Photo by Unsplash

I take on IT projects from foreign clients. The work is solid, and my income is stable, ranging from $2,500 to $3,000 a month. But to outsiders, I probably look like someone idle, aimless, and without a routine.

I usually start my day around 9 or 10 a.m., working at cafés, at home, wherever is convenient. People who don't know me assume I'm just lounging around, unemployed.

I used to work a typical office job: eight hours a day, morning coffee, evening overtime. It's not that I couldn't do it—I just didn't like it. I switched to freelance work to gain control over my time, choose projects I enjoy, and collaborate with clients I trust. Some nights I work until 3 a.m. to meet a deadline, then sleep in the next morning.

People around me keep calling it "unstable." But what exactly is stability? Is it sitting at a desk every day at 8 a.m., waiting for a paycheck at month's end?

Let me ask this: if I earn enough to cover my expenses, have savings, make more than many peers working in local companies, and still find time for exercise, walks, and a flexible life - just on a different schedule- does that really count as "unstable"?