American Century | Transitioning Careers

Now don’t get me wrong, I make part of a living talking about what’s possible with side hustles. But not everything has to turn into a hustle, as Molly Conway reminds us: She also talks about the larger issue of busyness and hustle culture. I wouldn’t want to turn my reading, work on jigsaw puzzles, or even dance into a business.

Because who doesn’t love pie that looks like a book? I have read about zones of genius in The Big Leap (another good read) before but this one is pretty good too. I’m reading this book a little at a time as I go through training to become a Playing Big Facilitator. My faves from her list: 17-minute naps (need to try this!), Double Stuff Oreos (they are sooo good), and whiskey (I like mine with a mixer though, like apple juice).

This feels more me and gives me a way to look back at the year and really think about what happened, what I was able to accomplish, and give me some good information to carry into 2021. I signed up for Broadway (because I’m a dancer dangit, albeit an awkward one) and learned choreography to 4 Broadway songs. Published the 200th issue of #jesspicks (!!) and shared some lessons I’ve learned along the way from doing a weekly newsletter for the past 4 years. Led a teaching session in our mastermind group about my newsletter, how it started, my process, and things I pay attention to.

I love, love, this post from Tim Denning. Or a one size fits all approach to your job or your business. You can decide what works best for you. “Lifestyle design can be as simple as writing down how you want to earn a living, what your hobbies will be, how you’ll spend your money, who you will spend your time with, what you will believe, how you will act, where you will live, and how much time you dedicate towards your family.

I took my existing list from Mailchimp, which at the time was a little over 50 people, imported them to Revue, and on July 23, 2016, I sent out my first issue: Fast-forward 4 years It started out as me sharing 5 things that I had seen that week to help my audience become more productive or have more fun. Once you decide what to create or how you’d like to show up for your audience, see if there are technology tools that can make the process a little bit more efficient and save you some time along the way. I have gotten so much advice, support, and examples from being a part of communities like the Newsletter Creators group, the Unemployable Initiative, and the RadReads Slack community.

I am starting to get more into podcasts (if I can listen on Spotify and at 1.5x speed!) so this is a great list to check out! Creative Pep Talk – tips and actionable advice galore on being a creator. And it’s so fun listening to Andy.

I encourage side hustlers to find other side hustlers to chat with because we get what you are going through in ways full-time entrepreneurs don’t quite understand. If you’re not able to find that squad of people, you can create that type of community. I hadn’t really considered building a community around my blog before but the idea of doing a challenge (#5) and spotlighting readers (#7) sound like fun things to do. You need to build your readers up, serve them, pay attention to them, make them feel noticed, and do whatever you can to make them feel like they belong.

Kara Cutruzzula talks about how important it is to prioritize meaning in your day and that starts with figuring out your “why”. “Start each day by asking yourself: What can I do that will feel meaningful today?”

But Patia Braithwaite at SELF reminds us why our hobbies don’t have to make money. when we try to monetize it, it’ll take all of the fun out of the process and experience for us. Do the thing that brings you joy (and impresses your friends and family) without turning it into something you can sell. A hobby that helps you feel good is probably more valuable than the extra cash.

How To Change Your Life in a Year Tim always writes such powerful posts and this one is no different. In writing about 13 ways he changed his life in a year, these 3 stuck out to me: Take that pain you feel and find a way to turn it into a good thing. We are side hustlers, so we need to make money, but oftentimes, we can give away so much value through our content which is free.