When Your 'Good Job' isn't Your Jam

I just fell into my current career, and while I am good at what I do, it doesn't exactly inspire me or send me leaping out of bed to get to it every morning.  I'm a square peg masquerading as a round hole in this corporate life of mine. 

I am grateful for the things that this career has afforded me and I readily admit I have a "good job".  The problem with "good jobs" is right there in the name,  GOOD.  Am I wrong to want to pursue a passion instead of just a paycheck? Is it silly to want to do something so awesome that I no longer get the Monday Blues or live for Fridays at 5?

What do you do when your current line of work pays the bills but brings you no joy? 

Enter the Side Hustle.

 The side hustle is nothing new, it may be trending on social media and have a cute new name, but people have been hustling for years.  I'm surrounded by people just like me who describe what they do with hyphens, Actor/Bartender, Manger/Spoken Word Artist, Mechanic/Sculptor, Receptionist/Model.  You get the picture. I've even written about it here.  We're all creatives who need to earn a living, but our passions lie outside of our 9 to 5s.  Sometimes the hustle generates revenue right away, while others take much more time and energy to get there and still others are purely labors of love. 

Many of my side hustles have generated income and quite a few perks.  I've been a Wedding Coordinator, a Wedding Planner and a Wedding Designer.....before you ask, no they are not the same thing!  During my stint as a Fashion Designer, I created an original beaded Wedding gown and 4 unique Bridesmaid dresses for 2 different weddings. I also had the pleasure of being the sole designer for a Fashion show at Florida A & M during Homecoming Week one year, I created 6 original dresses. I've made jewelry,  crocheted blankets, hats and scarves, written content for a small business blog, been commissioned to paint pictures, braided hair, done alterations, catered events and served as an Interior Decorator for 3 clients.  I was BUSY!

 The truth is, even though I enjoyed and am grateful for each and every side hustle, I didn't love any of them, so when I'd finish a project, I was left feeling like I was only doing it for the pay.   My side hustles ended up feeling like they were just jobs.  I had my full-time gig to make me feel that way, my hustles were supposed to bring me joy and fulfillment. 

I'm not saying that there is something wrong with monetizing something you're good at but don't love. We've all got bills to pay, besides on any given day those hustles brought me more satisfaction than whatever I was doing full-time ever could.  I needed those years of getting my hustle on in order to find out what it was that I truly loved to do. 

I've finally figured out that writing is my jam! (Yes, I still say jam, don't judge me! ) 

After a long day at my "good job" I get to go home and work at my great job. This gig isn't bringing home any bacon yet,  but it has ignited a flame in me I never knew existed. 

So what do you do when your 'good job' isn't your jam? You get out there and hustle your way into a great one.

Happy Hustlin'