The Next Generation of Side Hustle

5/6/2019

For when you fall into a routine, go through the motions of life and are not happy, this can happen at any stage of life whether you are still in school or have been at your job for a decade now.

Some people just get burned out at different points in their lives and need to do more of what makes them happy. If your parents pushed you too hard as a child, maybe right out of college you need to do more of what you want to do and not what they want you to do, so you start looking for ways to add more of that into your life.

Or maybe you have just been doing the same thing at your job for a few too many years and just need a change of pace, looking towards doing something you actually enjoy doing.

That is where the new generation of "side hustle" comes into play. No longer are you just trying to make money on the side in order to pay some bills or travel more, you are looking for a way to start to add meaningful work into your life.

If you are looking for side hustles that will increase your income, check out this blog post right here >>

No longer is it enough to just work to earn money to pay the bills, especially for us younger generations. Instead, we are looking for work that will bring us more happiness and fulfillment into our lives as you can see the impact you are making.

I would highly suggest you keep reading if you agreed with anything in the above paragraph, it might be in your best interest:)

image: https://nataliebacon.com/side-hustle-ideas/

Overview

Side Hustle vs Passion Project
Is A Side Hustle or Passion Project Really for You?
Why You Might Need a Passion Project
Different Types of Passion Projects
How to Choose What One is Right For You
How to Get Started on Your Passion Project

Side Hustle vs. Passion Project

So, what is the difference?

The main difference between these two things is your motive, yes your motive. Usually, side hustles are to make extra cash on the side while passion projects are more to bring meaning into your life outside of school and your job.

I am not saying one is better than the other, and I am not saying that you will not make money through more of a passion project, it just isn't the initial motive.

With a side hustle they are usually more short term to earn extra income for anything from date nights to paying off your college loans or even traveling. A great example of this is reselling (which you can learn more about by clicking here) where you are in it usually solely to profit. While this can be great, it doesn't add much meaning into your life as you really aren't helping anyone, you are just in it for a profit.

In terms of passion projects, you are in it to help people or solve a problem and an income can be a side effect of this. This could be anything from a business to a blog or social media account where you just enjoy posting content about a niche.

A lot of people go wrong with passion projects because they jump in and treat it like a side hustle, for quick cash. They start a business thinking that they don't need to do much work and the cash will roll in, and that is never a winning strategy.

If you are solely looking for that cash, I would start with a side hustle that isn't really long term and then build some skills you could take to a passion project, if that is of interest to you.

Is A Side Hustle or Passion Project Really For You?

Sometimes what you really need is a hobby.

Before I dive in, I wanted to talk about how you can figure out if either of these things are really for you. Sometimes all you need is a hobby to fill that void that you are experiencing in your life.

A side hustle and especially a passion project comes with a decent amount of extra work that you might not be looking to actually take on.

Some people start a passion project because they are looking to add some meaning or challenge to their life and don't realize they are taking on extra work. Once they start putting in those hours, they realize they really don't like the extra work and are really feeling burnt out.

In this case they enjoyed the idea of doing extra work that they cared about but when it actually came to executing, they really weren't looking to do as much work as was required. Not a problem though, maybe a hobby is the perfect thing for you if you are in this boat.

Try a hobby that really pushes you, such as working out or running, and tests your comfort zone. This is going to make sure you see progress as you get better and better and that is going to bring new meaning into your life, without having all the work that comes with a passion project.

Why You Might Need A Passion Project

You know when that job isn't making you very happy.

Let's say that you really do enjoy that extra work though because it doesn't feel like work to you and you get a real excitement when you help someone in your area of expertise.

Then, a passion project is just what you need. Rather than just having a side hustle where you can make extra money in the short term, why not take a longer term point of view and start a passion project that might not make you as much money in the short term, but have a larger growth and profit potential in the long run? Plus, it will help you add new meaning to your life in a way that a side hustle really can't because money doesn't make you happy or bring meaning to your life.

This is especially important for those of you who work a 9-5 job that you might or might not enjoy and are not getting the excitement out of it that you used to. A passion project will help with burn out in your job because when you have that thing to pay the bills and then can come home and really do what you love with the potential to grow this passion project into something that can pay the bills.

Heck, it will even help with your meaning and happiness in college, like it has for myself, because we are stuck with all of this extra time outside of classes and really don't know what to do with this time other than scroll through social media.

How about we trade in social media for a passion project, do more of what we enjoy, build new skills, increase your confidence and increase out happiness.

Did I sell you on why you need a passion project? Good, let's move onto some ways you can start now!

The Different Types of Passion Projects

Not all are created equal.

So, you are set on wanting to add some more meaning and happiness into your life, I don't blame you! Here are a few ideas on what you could start doing, but first some things to think about before jumping in...

Do you have any skills that you could use to either help someone solve a problem or teach someone something they don't already know how to do?
Do you have any experience in a niche that could be helpful to someone for solving their problems?
Do you have any special knowledge or insightful knowledge in a niche that might be useful to anyone in solving their problems?

Notice the emphasis on solving problems in people's lives or businesses? Yes, that is a huge focus of your passion project because not only when you help solve other people's problems, you get the gratification of seeing them improve in life or business, but you have the ability to scale and help more people, depending o how big the problem you are solving is.

Okay, now actually to some ideas for you to get started:

Start a social media account and start posting content around solving whatever problem you are able to solve and sharing your knowledge.
If you have a physical skill, maybe help people do anything from design a patio to build something or even more intellectual based skills such as helping them maximize their tax returns.
Start a blog or start creating videos about your interests.
Start hosting mastermind sessions where you can meet people locally or through online websites such as Go To Meeting and teach them a new skill.
Start a podcast where you can talk about some of your favorite topics or share your knowledge.
Create an app based around solving a problem.
Design some clothing or start posting your art or even music on social media.
Create a brand around a cause or problem you care about.

How to Choose The Right One for You

Try some passion projects that fit your personality, or challenge yourself and push your comfort zone.

It is all going to come down to your goals for starting the passion project.

Are you looking to grow it into a business or just find a way to help people with any extra time you may have?
How much extra time are you looking to devote to this passion project each day?
Are you looking to help people one on one or more of a group or are you looking to sell them something that can help them?
What are you going to be motivated to do? Maybe video isn't your thing so you would rather devote your time to a blog and not be afraid every time you step in front of the camera.
Are you looking for something you are comfortable doing or are you looking to push yourself? You will get much more out of the passion project when you choose to push yourself and your comfort zone.

How to Get Started on Your Passion Project

You can't find more happiness and fulfillment unless you actually start.

Sure, reading this post and thinking about doing the work can make you feel good and feel like you are actually getting closer to those goals.

In reality, you are not much closer until you actually start to take action, here is how to do just that:

Figure out what skills, experience or knowledge you have.
Figure out a problem that this skill or knowledge could solve.
Find where the most people that have that problem are going to be. For example, maybe if the demographic of students that have your problem are college and high-schoolers, you try using Instagram or Snapchat rather than Facebook to get their attention, because they aren't spending much time on Facebook.
Figure out what it is that you want to do (blog, create content, create a service, teach people).
Figure out how you are going to solve this problem different than other people might do so.
Figure out if you have any insights that other people don't have in the niche or expertise.
START DOING!

Thanks for stopping by the blog, I hope you found some value and look forward to seeing you back tomorrow!
-Taylor

MMNTM Blog