Start Your Side-Hustle as Soon as Possible
The longer you wait, the longer it’ll be until you reach your goal
Many of the big-name companies you know, like Apple and Facebook, started as side hustles. Steve Jobs created the foundations of his own tech company while working for Atari. Jack Dorsey was a programmer for a podcast platform before developing Twitter.
If these well-known founders hadn’t pursued their side-hustles, the world would be a different place.
Now, plenty of people have side-hustles. A side-hustle is a way of earning money in addition to one’s main occupation. It’s often some type of freelance work to provide supplemental income.
Side-hustles come in all shapes and sizes. Some people create products and sell them in physical and digital marketplaces. Others utilize their coaching skills and provide some kind of service.
The common denominator is that those with side-hustles are making money, or trying to make money, by doing what they love. However, one must actually pursue their passion in order to make their dream a reality.
Saying that you have a side-hustle is one thing, but actually doing it is another. It’s not easy to do when you work a full-time job. It’s not supposed to be easy. The longer you wait, the more likely you’ll be to accept the 9–5 for life.
Why should you start a side hustle?
There’s no one reason to start a side-hustle. It depends on what you want in life. If you want to work an easy 9–5 job and smoke weed every night, then you do you. I respect your decision.
But if you want purpose, if you want meaning in your life, then a side-hustle might be for you.
You’re the type who wants a challenge. You need to be productive at all times of the day. You need something to satisfy your hunger for digital domination.
The bottom line is side-hustles rule. Tell someone what you do for a living, and they’ll pretend to be impressed with you. We all have jobs buck-o. You’re just like everyone else.
Tell someone you have a side-hustle, and you’ll be the biggest person in the room.
If you want it, then get after it. If you’ve ever thought about it, you have what it takes. It’s just a matter of getting started.
Why start tomorrow when you can start today?
Have you ever wanted something so bad you were willing to do anything to get it? You prepared for it in every way imaginable:
- You did online research
- You asked your friends for reassurance
- You prepared your mind for a big change
- You imagined a new version of yourself
You did all these things, except start the actual process. Maybe you started, but your motivation died soon after. You could’ve fast-tracked your side-hustle months ago, but there’s still time. There’s always tomorrow…
The start-tomorrow mentality is for lazy people.
I know I’m not beating around the bush here, but it’s too easy to get caught in this cycle. You might be a lazy person if you have goals and expect people to serve them to you on a silver platter. Nobody is here to do the work for you in this life. If you want it, you have to go get it.
You can spend all day hiking to the top of a mountain, but you still have to get yourself back down. No one’s going to pick you up and carry you to the trailhead.
Side-hustles are like little life bonus points. You’re not expected to score any, but it’s pretty cool when you do. The only problem is that you have to rack these points all on your own, and they’re typically harder to get than regular points.
This difficulty prompts people to start side-hustles later in life. One might resort by starting tomorrow, or next week, or even next year. I’ll explain why this logic doesn’t make sense.
New Year’s resolutions don’t work
Well, they don’t work for most people. This is because normal people create lofty goals for themselves. Normal people don’t build proper habits over time.
A study conducted by the University of Scranton said just 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolutions. There’s a reason for this.
Imagine deciding to eat healthier meals in October. Then the holidays hit. You eat too much pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving and figure your diet can wait another day. Another day comes, but you still don’t start. You figure you’ll start a New Year’s resolution!
Do you see where I’m going with this? With habits like these, it’s unlikely that a “resolution” will solve your problem.
Just like the diet, the side-hustle can’t wait. Wait too long, and you’ll lose your motivation. Take small steps over time. Come up with an idea first. Write your first blog. Make your first video. It doesn’t have to be good, but you’ll get better over time.
Time is abundant, but don’t waste it
I have to force myself to relax sometimes. I’ll spend an entire Saturday inside blogging and won’t realize it until it’s 7pm.
To me, it’s something I must do. If something gets in my way, I’m not going to have a good attitude about it. I’ll try to, but I can’t change who I am.
I’m in a constant competition with myself.
It took me a little while, but I have toned down my goals. I’ve put everything into perspective. We aren’t guaranteed a long life, but we do rush ourselves through it.
I think it’s important to take a breather from time to time. On the other hand, don’t become complacent.
Don’t waste your college years away like I did. I didn’t have a plan after college whatsoever. I just expected everything to work out for me. I thought I’d get a job right after graduating. Instead, I spent years aimlessly searching for my “dream position.” Now I know it doesn’t exist.
I could’ve started building my online empire years ago. By now, I could be living my ideal life. Not that life is bad right now, but I could have the freedom I long for.
Compound consistency
Weightlifting is the best analogy for all forms of progress. You won’t look like Arnold Schwarzenegger after a few weeks of lifting your butt off. It takes years of hard work to make noticeable gains.
At a certain point, however, you’ll make a habit of lifting. You’ll start enjoying the process and stop focusing on the end goal. You’ll realize that going to the gym is simply a method of taking care of your body.
Putting on muscle is just the cherry on top.
Consistency, it seems, is the key. It’s a blessing and a curse. Once you realize you won’t become a millionaire in a day, a week, or even a couple months, you’ll adopt the process as a part of your life. Building your empire will become a daily habit.
Level up your habit
I started playing a game called Rocket League back in 2015. It’s like soccer, except you drive around in souped-up, miniature race cars. I’ve played off and on for five years now.
The game recently embraced the free-to-play model, and they’ve seen a resurgence. I had to see what all the hype was about. I logged in, and received an Established 2015 tag. Now anyone I’m up against knows they’re facing a veteran.
I realized that I’ve been playing the same game for five long years. I’ve never played something for that long. I’ve never held the same job that long.
This got me thinking: what if I had started a side-hustle five years ago? If I was consistent with it, where would I be now?
You might be thinking about how much earlier you could've started your side-hustle too. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Now is the best time to start. There’s never a right time to begin the process, but there’s always room to improve it.
Decide today is the day, and start building better habits:
- Work on your side hustle a little bit everyday
- Create a process that works around your schedule
- Optimize your time
- Track your progress with tangible results
Growth takes time to materialize. The key is consistency, and a little bit of patience with yourself.
Don’t quit your day job, yet
High and mighty is the giver of advice. I for one haven’t abandoned my day job. I don’t know what it’s like on the other side, yet.
My desire to quit my job and go all-in on freelancing comes in waves. Sometimes I’m ready to risk it all, but most of the time I trust the process.
My job serves as a reminder of how fortunate I am. It’s not something to take for granted. I think about those who lost their job to tough times. I’d be a fool to leave my job before I’m ready. It’s consistent and guarantees cash in my pocket.
I know that if I lost my job I’d do anything to get it back.
The bottom line is to appreciate what you have. It may not be the dream, but it’s a gear that keeps your machine moving.
One last thought
It’s scary to look into the void of uncertainty. It’s never been easier to start a side-hustle, but it’s never been harder to be successful at it.
Remember, you’re not supposed to pursue a side-hustle. No one asked you, and it isn’t expected of you.
You’re expected to be satisfied with your day job. You’re supposed to clock in and work, and clock out and relax. What makes side-hustles so interesting is that you never clock out. You just continue working.
Once you start, remember that slow and steady progress is better than nose diving into oblivion. Build productive habits over time. Your consistency will result in compound interest in your product.
If there’s one thing to take away, it’s that time is on your side. There isn’t a right time to get the ball rolling. There is just a time.
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