Confession: There's a part of me that cringes when we use the word 'passion' with respect to our students. Sure, many of them already have, and have acted on their passions. But I would wager that a lot more of them are still growing their passions and/or haven't even had the opportunity to experience the tiniest zygote of its existence. After all, they haven't been on the planet all that long. But I trust that they'll get there. And what about those of us who move from one endeavor to another? Is it less valuable that having one true passion? Call me EASILY BORED, I'm OK with that. I believe in the value of experimenting with your super powers, or as my colleague calls it, 'hustling.' Thanks entrepreneur teacher Greg for this guest blog. Carry on... (and don't miss the obligatory cat link):
How I Learned to Stop Working and Start Hustling
I love side hustles. Usually, when people are talking about side hustles, they mean finding a small side job to bring in some extra income. In this context, however, I mean finding a new hobby or skill to develop (bonus if it ends up leading to some extra money in your pocket*)
There are many articles which espouse the benefits of having a side hustle. Here are a few to get you started:
https://onestepoutside.com/8-benefits-of-starting-a-side-hustle/
https://www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com/side-hustle-benefits/
https://everythingfinanceblog.com/21394/side-hustle-benefits-hidden.html
Here are some of my favorite non-monetary benefits of side hustles mentioned in the articles linked above:
A CHANGE OF PACE
“Side hustling can provide an opportunity… to focus on new goals, ideas, and relationships. Pursuing a passion project’ in your free time will provide a break from your 9-5 routine while introducing variety into your daily activities.” (personalfinanceforbeginners)
THEY’RE A CREATIVE OUTLET
“If there’s another part of your life that your passionate about, a side hustle can provide you with a way to use your creativity. Whether it allows you to write and blog, cook, sew, or design, your side hustle can allow you to utilize skills that would otherwise go to waste.” (everythingfinanceblog)
A STEEPER LEARNING CURVE
“This brings you all kinds of new skills and experiences that will challenge you and make you stronger and more capable as a result. There’s a huge amount of growth and development that comes from stepping out of the comfort zone of the job description that you have now and have probably had for a while.” (onestepoutside)
SELF-AWARENESS AND DEVELOPMENT
“Exploring and working on your own ideas can teach you all sorts of things about yourself and about what you like and don’t like… You’ll also be investing in your own personal development.” (onestepoutside)
A SENSE OF PURPOSE
“A common feeling that people get when they’ve been in a role for a long time is that they have lost the meaning of their work. Having a side hustle will reinvigorate you with a new sense of purpose and energy as you focus on something you’re really passionate about.” (onestepoutside)
“A side hustle offers all of the major components you need to stay motivated and provide satisfaction: autonomy (control over your work), competency (the need to master new skills), and connection (with mentors, peers, or customers).” (personalfinanceforbeginners)
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
“Finally, while it may feel like adding more work to your plate will create additional stress and reduce your free time even more, ironically, it can actually help you achieve that elusive ‘work-life balance’. Now that you have something to ‘get to’ after work, something you’re passionate and excited about, you’ll be better able to set boundaries and make sure that you’re not letting your office job spill into the evenings and weekends.” (onestepoutside)
“A side hustle… can provide you with an opportunity to dabble in an art or passion you might otherwise not have and create career inspiration that you never thought possible.” (everythingfinanceblog)
Here’s what side hustles look like in my life.
For the past two years, I have been attempting to leave my teaching work at school at the end of the workday**. I have shifted the time I used to spend grading and planning at home to work on some side hustles.
I launched a Kickstarter campaign for a little book I wrote. I tried to learn how to code. I’ve also been working with my better half (the lovely Kate Wentworth!) to launch an Etsy shop for jewelry we’re designing and making.
What I discovered is that trying to mark papers after teaching a full day is a bad use of my time. When I’m a tired teacher, I’m not an accurate and consistent teacher. When I’m a tired teacher, I’m not a great lesson planner or rubric maker. I have limits on how much quality work I can produce as a teacher each day.
When I change gears to work on one of my side hustles, I give myself a much needed mental and emotional break from teaching. When I return to school the next day, I find myself better energized and better able to focus on my teaching work—which helps me be more productive at work, which leads to fewer things needing to be done outside of work.
Working on these side hustles forces me to learn a bunch of new stuff, which reminds me what it’s like to be a student:
Trying to figure out where to start when you don’t even know what you don’t know (all of my side hustles).
The frustrations that come with repeated failures (I’m looking at you, CSS!!!).
The moments of joy when you achieve a goal you’ve set for yourself (thank you, Kickstarter).
Learning to work with others (you rock, Kate).
Learning to ask for help when you get stuck (every side hustle I’ve attempted).
These experiences as a learner filter back into my classroom and make me a better teacher because it is easier to put myself in my students’ flip flops.
So stopping working so much and find yourself a side hustle.
Obligatory cat reference: http://mentalfloss.com/article/53466/12-jobs-people-decided-give-cats
*Legal disclaimer: If you’re an expat, I’m pretty sure you can’t have a second job in India while working at AISC. Don’t break the law.
**Honesty check: I still do school work at home. I’ve found it impossible to separate work and home completely, but I’ve definitely found much greater work-life balance.
How I Learned to Stop Working and Start Hustling
By Gregory Israel
I love side hustles. Usually, when people are talking about side hustles, they mean finding a small side job to bring in some extra income. In this context, however, I mean finding a new hobby or skill to develop (bonus if it ends up leading to some extra money in your pocket*)
There are many articles which espouse the benefits of having a side hustle. Here are a few to get you started:
https://onestepoutside.com/8-benefits-of-starting-a-side-hustle/
https://www.personalfinanceforbeginners.com/side-hustle-benefits/
https://everythingfinanceblog.com/21394/side-hustle-benefits-hidden.html
Here are some of my favorite non-monetary benefits of side hustles mentioned in the articles linked above:
A CHANGE OF PACE
“Side hustling can provide an opportunity… to focus on new goals, ideas, and relationships. Pursuing a passion project’ in your free time will provide a break from your 9-5 routine while introducing variety into your daily activities.” (personalfinanceforbeginners)
THEY’RE A CREATIVE OUTLET
“If there’s another part of your life that your passionate about, a side hustle can provide you with a way to use your creativity. Whether it allows you to write and blog, cook, sew, or design, your side hustle can allow you to utilize skills that would otherwise go to waste.” (everythingfinanceblog)
A STEEPER LEARNING CURVE
“This brings you all kinds of new skills and experiences that will challenge you and make you stronger and more capable as a result. There’s a huge amount of growth and development that comes from stepping out of the comfort zone of the job description that you have now and have probably had for a while.” (onestepoutside)
SELF-AWARENESS AND DEVELOPMENT
“Exploring and working on your own ideas can teach you all sorts of things about yourself and about what you like and don’t like… You’ll also be investing in your own personal development.” (onestepoutside)
A SENSE OF PURPOSE
“A common feeling that people get when they’ve been in a role for a long time is that they have lost the meaning of their work. Having a side hustle will reinvigorate you with a new sense of purpose and energy as you focus on something you’re really passionate about.” (onestepoutside)
“A side hustle offers all of the major components you need to stay motivated and provide satisfaction: autonomy (control over your work), competency (the need to master new skills), and connection (with mentors, peers, or customers).” (personalfinanceforbeginners)
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
“Finally, while it may feel like adding more work to your plate will create additional stress and reduce your free time even more, ironically, it can actually help you achieve that elusive ‘work-life balance’. Now that you have something to ‘get to’ after work, something you’re passionate and excited about, you’ll be better able to set boundaries and make sure that you’re not letting your office job spill into the evenings and weekends.” (onestepoutside)
“A side hustle… can provide you with an opportunity to dabble in an art or passion you might otherwise not have and create career inspiration that you never thought possible.” (everythingfinanceblog)
Here’s what side hustles look like in my life.
For the past two years, I have been attempting to leave my teaching work at school at the end of the workday**. I have shifted the time I used to spend grading and planning at home to work on some side hustles.
I launched a Kickstarter campaign for a little book I wrote. I tried to learn how to code. I’ve also been working with my better half (the lovely Kate Wentworth!) to launch an Etsy shop for jewelry we’re designing and making.
What I discovered is that trying to mark papers after teaching a full day is a bad use of my time. When I’m a tired teacher, I’m not an accurate and consistent teacher. When I’m a tired teacher, I’m not a great lesson planner or rubric maker. I have limits on how much quality work I can produce as a teacher each day.
When I change gears to work on one of my side hustles, I give myself a much needed mental and emotional break from teaching. When I return to school the next day, I find myself better energized and better able to focus on my teaching work—which helps me be more productive at work, which leads to fewer things needing to be done outside of work.
Working on these side hustles forces me to learn a bunch of new stuff, which reminds me what it’s like to be a student:
Trying to figure out where to start when you don’t even know what you don’t know (all of my side hustles).
The frustrations that come with repeated failures (I’m looking at you, CSS!!!).
The moments of joy when you achieve a goal you’ve set for yourself (thank you, Kickstarter).
Learning to work with others (you rock, Kate).
Learning to ask for help when you get stuck (every side hustle I’ve attempted).
These experiences as a learner filter back into my classroom and make me a better teacher because it is easier to put myself in my students’ flip flops.
So stopping working so much and find yourself a side hustle.
Obligatory cat reference: http://mentalfloss.com/article/53466/12-jobs-people-decided-give-cats
*Legal disclaimer: If you’re an expat, I’m pretty sure you can’t have a second job in India while working at AISC. Don’t break the law.
**Honesty check: I still do school work at home. I’ve found it impossible to separate work and home completely, but I’ve definitely found much greater work-life balance.
This is awesome Greg! I'm inspired to get some side hustles of my own going.
ReplyDeleteOn that note, I signed up for a strengths challenge next week and thought I'd share it here for people to join in as well. Nothing like having a peer group to hold you accountable. My focus for the week will be to engage the strength of kindness for 10 minutes a day (steer clear for the rest of the day). The idea is to be more intentional about it.
Researchers have found that people who have the opportunity to use their strengths – the things they’re good at and enjoy doing – at work each day are more confident, energized and effective at work. Yet, only 26% of people report they manage to pull this off most days.
To intentionally grow one of my mid strengths I’m joining the one-week Strengths Challenge to create a small daily strength habit, and then do this each day for one week.
It’s completely free, takes less than 5 minutes, and we can help each other do a little more of what we do best.
Want to join me? Just click here to get started: michellemcquaid.ontraport.com/t?orid=31764&opid=34
The website also has a range of helpful strength related resources. Check it out!