You Should Give Up Your Side Hustle
The Dark Truth About Content Creation
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Most advice to creators is not to give up. That if you just stick with your side hustle long enough, you will make it. After all, every successful creator was doing it for years before they had their big win.
Not only is this advice wrong, but it’s dangerous.
Here’s what to do instead.
Love the Game
The most important step is to figure out whether or not you love doing it. Whatever it is.
Would you do it if no one would ever see your work? Or if you knew you would never make money doing it?
If not, it might be time to give up and find something else.
The worst possible scenario is to find success doing something you don’t like. At that point, just get a normal job instead. At least there, you have a guaranteed paycheck.
When I was a full-time YouTuber, I knew it wasn’t “it” for me. Sure, I had thousands of fans and made great money. But I wasn’t pushing myself. And if the money ever dried up, I would stop doing it. Which is exactly what happened.
I was tied down to a specific format and formula. And every time I deviated from it, the views went down. I was trapped.
Whenever you start experimenting with a creative project, seriously think about how much you like doing it. So many of us have wasted decades of our lives doing shit we hate. And we think it’s normal.
It’s not.
Your inner sense of fulfillment is important. You should never compromise on that.
The truth is, most of us will never make a full-time income from a side hustle or creative project. You shouldn’t plan on it. The odds are against you, even with Web3.
And it would be a damn shame if you wasted your life doing something that you didn’t absolutely love. Don’t be that person. Even if you make a lot of money, it’s not worth it. Trust me.
Here’s what to do instead.
Small Experiments
I’ve written about this before. And I probably will again. Because it’s just that important.
You need to be trying many things.
We like to think that we know ourselves. The truth is we don’t. And it’s not until you have repeated exposure to something that you know whether you like doing it.
One of my favorite side projects was a history meme account on Instagram. Who would’ve thought? Turns out, I really enjoy making memes.
And I never would’ve known that had I never tried doing it.
It didn’t start big either. I started the account by reposting some of my favorite memes. Then, I started branching out and making my own.
The account got so big that Mia Khalifa followed it (though, I blocked her out of respect for my girlfriend).
The point is that your perfect side hustle or creative project is a complete mystery. And it’s only through trial & error that you figure out what you love.
Here are 3 ingredients of a “forever side hustle.”
Lasting interest - you’ve been into this for more than a few weeks or months. But years. At least in some capacity.
Keep hitting flow state - you can consistently hit flow state doing it. Which is extremely important for your mental health.
You’re proud of it - you look back at what you did and feel a real sense of growth and accomplishment.
If you can find a side hustle with those three ingredients, drop everything else. You found it.
It doesn’t matter if you turn it into a full-time income or not. It’ll give you a sanctuary. An oasis in a desert. An ounce of heaven in the barren hellscape that is modern life.
Final Thoughts
Don’t listen to the cynical moneymakers. If you don’t love your side hustle, don’t do it. Life is way too short and sacred to waste our days doing something we hate.
It’s your mission to find out what that looks like for you. Nobody can give you an answer. Only with repeated exposure and many experiments will the truth reveal itself.
And for the sake of your well-being, my friend, I truly hope you find it.
You can get a list of the Best Web3 Creator Platforms. It’s good. It’s free. And you might find the platform that changes your life. Check it out :)