The importance of doing your own thing
Many of us have jobs, or contracts or at least obligations to the work space. Most likely, those activities take up the bulk of your time. And you get reliant on them, to pay the bills, and give you the means to meet some of your needs. But at the cost of the bulk of your time.
Quite possibly, you have other interests as well. Things you would like to do. Ideas you would like to implement. Projects you would like to undertake. Skills you would like to learn. But you just don’t find the time for them. Or they require quite a bit of effort, and you do not know if you can even muster that kind of strength.
But it is important that you attend to them as well. And the next couple of pieces I would write would be trying to untangle and rewire our daily routines to allow us to balance the work we must do for pay, and the things we want to do on the side.
Why have a thing on the side?
It is creatively nourishing.
For many of us, in our regular work lives we have to do things that we are not necessarily passionate about, or maybe even ill suited for. I have written about the need for passion in everyone’s life. If you haven’t found a way to merge your passion with what you do for work, you can at least pursue your passion as your side gig. You will find that the more you make time and invest into this thing, the happier and more satisfied you will feel on the soul level.
It unlocks new opportunities
While pursing the side gig, you will be exploring areas and arenas that are unfamiliar to you, and you never know where that would lead. But the thing is, whatever you will be getting into is new. This will spark new mental connections, learning new things, acquiring new skills, meeting new people. And who knows what could come next. You could unlock a solid new stream of income, or a new career, or new friends. It is worth it to have a fresh area of exposure.
It will move you forward
Life is hectic. We have demands and responsibilities. We have many things to take care of and to handle. The world pushes and pulls us in many directions at once. If you actually want to move forward, and make tangible progress. You need to be deliberate, you need to be intentional. And the time spent in the side gig is prime time to do just that. To make plans, and put them in place.
It will help you build discipline.
Time is limited. You already spend most of it at work, and there is a good chunk you also need to apply to everything else — relationships, self care, the community. To also include your side gig time, you will need to be even more disciplined. You will need to identify wasted time and reclaim it. You will need to set a new routine and embrace a sense of practice to allow you to consistently work on your side thing over time.
It will boost your confidence
As the captain of your ship, the architect of your destiny. maybe you don’t have control over everything in your life. But in this one area, in this one thing, you are in control. You call the shots. You rise and fall on your own merits. Your lessons and your blessings are hard won. That sense of satisfaction and fulfilment is worth its weight in gold.
Originally published at https://otoabasibassey.com on May 6, 2021.
I am an brand strategist, designer writer and entrepreneur using my skills to help people and businesses live up to their potential.
If there was an overarching theme to what I do, it would be “The art of being + the act of creating + the space in-between“. I am interested in how we live, how we create and how the two interact and inform each other.
My obsession with personal development and constant growth sparked in my early teens remains unabated and now I share what I learn as I build a life by design.
