Every day I coach women who are waiting for more time, waiting for children to grow up, waiting to get married, or waiting for some person, place, or thing outside of themselves to make their dreams come to fruition. When I ask why not go after their dreams now, the number one answer is that they work full time. Can you relate to that?
Well, I guess this depends on how you look at things; it’s the glass half-full or half-empty scenario. Maybe your job is in the way or maybe it could be a blessing to test out the inconsistency of a new business while you have the consistency of a steady job. In the book Hustle While You Work, the author, Hotep, asserts, “Your job is not an obstacle in the way of your entrepreneurial dream; your job is the way to your entrepreneurial dream.†Now there’s something we don’t hear much of!
I am a firm believer that had we all been taught how to hustle while we worked, the economy may have undergone the same large setbacks, but many of us would not have been affected to the same degree. Far more people could have perhaps sustained mortgages, car notes, and college tuition just a little longer had their dependence not been on just one stream of income. Maybe if we were taught more about creating passive income (income that does not come from active participation in a business) or multiple streams of income (income from more than one source) instead of this “go to college, get a job†nonsense, we’d be much further along as a country.
In addition to already having a full-time job, here are the remaining excuses, eh, reasons, many won’t hustle while they work:
1. “I don’t have enough time.†When you really want to make something happen, you MAKE time, you don’t find time as if it were hiding behind a corner or under a mattress somewhere. When Thursday night comes around, you make time to watch Scandal. Am I wrong? Most of us could find time if we’d turn off our television or (fill in your pleasure), limit our Instagram and Pinterest obsessions, and stopped complaining and whining about all the stuff we wish we had time to do. Because in reality, you have time.
Get focused and organized and start prioritizing your daily activities, and voila! — you’re hustling while you work! Helpful hint: I just started using CalenMob, an incredible app that syncs with my Google Calendar, to help me stay organized. Using CalenMob, I’ve accomplished more in the last week than I have in the last month.
2. “All the good ideas are gone.†They’re not. Each one of us is born to fulfill a purpose in life. We are blessed with unique gifts, talents, and abilities to bring to the marketplace. It is possible to create additional income and live a fulfilling life doing something that has already been done. Be innovative! The reality is that whether it’s already been done or not, if it’s never been done by YOU, then it can still be done. Don’t quit before you start.
Assess your gifts, talents, and skills, and figure out a way to put your own unique spin on it so you can begin to hustle while you work.
3. “I’m just not ready.†What are you waiting for now? Perfect timing? I tell my clients all the time that progress beats perfection any day. Start where you are! I live by the quote “Success will never be a BIG step taken in the future. Success will be a small step taken now.†No matter how many books and blogs you read or how many informational interviews you hold, there will always be something you don’t know yet. If I worried about understanding blog monetization before I started my blog, sad yet true, you wouldn’t even be reading this line right now! I’ve built a six-figure business doing what I love all because I was willing to just start!
Pool together all of the information and resources you do have under your belt and just get started. When you do your part, trust me, God or the Universe or whomever you recognize as your higher source will bring forth everything else you need. It starts with YOU and it starts NOW!
If nothing else, I hope this economy has reminded you that your path to financial independence and a secure future lies within your own abilities. If you have a job, be grateful because many don’t. But don’t use it as an excuse. Use it as a steppingstone, and hustle while you work.