5 Steps I Followed to Find My Passion and Turn It Into A Profitable Side Hustle

A resistance to living in regret can generate thousands of dollars

Have you ever wanted to earn money doing something you love?

That’s the key to life, right? To make money doing work that doesn’t completely suck.

I started writing online because I discovered a creative engine deep within me. I didn’t want to wake up at 45, still working in sales, without ever tapping into my creative side. That resistance to living in regret now generates thousands of dollars a year!

That’s how a good side hustle starts.

You don’t mimic everyone else. You don’t do it out of desperation.

You discover a jewel deep inside you that you wish to share with the world.

Here’s how I found mine and how you can easily find yours.

1. ) Observe what you do in your spare time.

If you’re still searching for your jewel, watch what you do with your spare time.

I started writing because I read more than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. My shelves overflow with business, philosophy, and classical fiction — each with dozens of sticky tabs and margin notes. I’m a maniac. Writing was an obvious choice.

How do you spend your spare time?

Do you look forward to workouts? Do you daydream about dinner recipes? Do you collect sports cards?

Observe and journal what you do on an average day. Our behaviors often reveal our true north.

2.) Google how it earns money.

Type into a google search: “I’m interested in (insert passion here), how can I make money.”

Simple as that.

I read passively blogged for years, but I had no idea how vast and how many opportunities there were for writers to make money on the internet. I discovered Medium.com and how you can submit articles to top online publications. I found Substack and learned you could make money with subscription-based newsletters. I learned all of this with a simple 10-minute google search.

Take 10 minutes to google your interests or reach out to someone already in the space.

Taking the initiative will open you to an entirely new world.

3.) Train like Rocky.

I read like a champ, but that didn’t mean I could write.

What did I do? I sought guidance from Jedi Masters. I got out my credit card and took Tom Kuegler’s Medium Mastery course. I read and reread “The Art and Business of Writing Online” by Nicolas Cole. I meticulously studied Tim Dennings’s writing style.

The way I saw it, I found my thing, but I was light years away from people paying money for my services.

So I went back to school, put in the work, and got my degree.

4.) Carve out time, even when you think you don’t have the time.

Here’s the hard truth, anything important will take a lot of time and a lot of effort.

A side-hustle means you must balance your new thing with a 9–5 job. Both require 100% of your talents and attention. I carved out a routine that ensured I could handle both. I noticed I was most creative in the morning, so I went to bed earlier and woke up at 4:30 am to read and write till 8 am or whenever I had to clock into my day job.

You have the time, even if you don’t think you do. If something is important to you, you will find the time for it.

5.) Give yourself 3-months before quitting.

The first three months will feel like starting a new relationship.

I felt all the emotions when I started writing. The excitement from learning something new. The anxiety when things got difficult. The fear of getting vulnerable. The joy when something goes right.

Eventually, I settled into a routine. The successes, failures, and dull days all morphed into part of the program. After three months, I enjoyed the process for what it was, good or bad.

Side hustles add a new wonderful relationship into your life. It takes time to get to know one another and understand each other.

But I promise you, if it’s meant to be, you will succeed.

Paulo Coelho wrote in The Alchemist: “When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it.”