The art of the side hustle
“Follow your passion” – a familiar adage and certainly an inspiring sentiment. But the sobering reality is those passion pursuits don’t always pay the bills.
What keeps a roof over your head and the phone tab paid is usually the unglamorous job that we take in the meantime, occupying the space between 9 am and 5 pm. It’s a reminder of another familiar saying, “life gets in the way”.
But there’s no reason why your dream should be relegated to a cliché of dusty camera gear and unread manuscripts. Why not leverage these often-creative passions into a money-generating side hustle?
A high-scoring passion play
You would expect most professional athletes to have already attained their dream job, and with little time for extracurricular activities.
That’s not the case for NHL player Zachary Hyman. The Toronto Maple Leafs forward does more than just score goals alongside superstar Auston Matthews - he’s an accomplished writer of children’s books.
Hyman has written two books, The Bambino and Me (2014) and Hockey Hero (2015) and is set to release a new action-adventure book in 2018 called The Magician’s Secret (Tundra Books). While hockey remains Hyman’s main focus, he makes sure to nurture his creative passion in writing.
"I didn't really expect much from writing," Hyman recently told NHL.com. "I wasn't trying to go out there and be an author. But it's a big passion of mine and I just really, really enjoyed it, so once everything came together it was a no-brainer for me that I wanted to keep pursuing writing."
The NHL season is a gruelling 82 games and half of that is on the road. Where does he find the time? Hyman allots dedicated writing sessions during his off-hours, either at home or during breaks in the summer.
"It's just a big passion of mine and I'm fortunate to be working with awesome people who help me out along the way," Hyman continued. "Just focusing on hockey and writing is something that I'll obviously continue to do.”
If a full-time NHLer can find the time for passion projects, what’s your excuse?
Reasons to start a side hustle
Besides the benefits of having an added revenue stream, which can also mean better tax breaks, the other positives of a side hustle can be psychological. Over at Greatist, they have outlined what they call three happy side effects as a result from pursuing your passion outside of work.
They argue having a side business alleviates depression and helps you to feel more engaged in life. It elevates your spirit to know you are investing your energy into something that matters most to you. It gets your mind off the day-to-day human hamster wheel that can be workaday life.
The other is enjoying your day job more, which makes sense because you aren’t putting all your expectations into one area of work. A side business makes you feel less “trapped” in a particular career and more emboldened at your job.
Strategies to get started
There’s no easy shortcut to getting your side business in motion. It’s going to take discipline, hard work and desire. It means coming home from work after a long day and going to your “other job”. It’s not always easy, especially when a new Netflix show is calling. But it’s crucial that you block off this time and stick to your commitment.
It’s recommended that you set aside four to six hours per week for your project. Sounds like a lot at first, but it averages out to less than an hour a day.
The author of this article has other tips for jumpstarting a successful side hustle. After you’ve pinpointed your passion, she recommends capitalizing on your social network. Let your friends and associates know what you’re up to and collaborate with other side business “hustlers” to expand your community while opening new doors to opportunity.
Who knows? Before you know it, your side hustle could be your main hustle.
