entrepreneurship

How Side Hustling Elevated My Life

It’s not just the money!

Anangsha Alammyan

17 Jun 2024 • 6 min read

Image from the author’s Instagram

It’s not just the money!

Pursuing a side hustle changed my life.

I’ve always loved writing. My first published words were when I was 4 years old. I’d written a poem that my parents submitted to a local newspaper. An act of innocent pride that now remains a core memory.

In 2014, I started writing online.

At that time, I didn’t know what a “side hustle” meant. I had no hopes of ever making money from my writing. All I cared about was putting words on paper. If someone from other side of the world commented how much they were impacted by my writing, it was an icing on the cake.

My first brush with making money from writing came during the pandemic. It was 2020, and a story I’d written on Medium went semi-viral, raking in $100 in less than a week.

To an Indian, $100 is worth a lot. Making that much from one story that took me less than two hours to write was nothing short of a miracle.

That was the first time I considered my passion for writing could actually make me rich. That’s when I got more intentional about it — studying stats, understanding platform algorithms, breaking down the works of best-performing writers. You know the drill.

Fast forward to 2024, and I’m a full-time writer.

What started as a hobby has become a profession. I get to spend days doing nothing but plotting stories in my head, and call it the peak of productivity. I get to take time off without asking anyone for permission or worrying about paying the bills.

This life is beyond any miracle I could have ever hoped for. And in this article, I wish to share a glimpse of it with my readers.

The goal is to show you what lies on the other side of your self-doubt. To make you believe that a world exists where you could wake up every day filled with excitement to work on your passion project, and be paid ridiculously well for it.

Helps you see unexplored potential

4 years ago, I was pursuing completely different goals. Making a living from writing was far from my dreams.

I had a government job at NIT Silchar as an Assistant professor– a dream job for most Indian middle-class families.

All I wanted to do was– publish research papers, get quality PhD students, and make sure students enjoy my lectures.

If you’d told me I’d be running my business in 2024 with 2-hour workdays and self-financed international vacations, I’d think you’re joking.

If I’d not started writing back then as a side hustle, I’d have never known the potential of my skills. Being intentional about my side hustle has given me the confidence to believe in my inner creativity. It’s given me power to work on what I want without having to worry about next month’s rent.

That’s how powerful side hustling can be. It helps you uncover new skills you never knew existed.

After I started writing as a side hustle, I discovered:

I’m pretty good at decoding algorithms
I write decent articles that impact lives
I’m good with GTM strategy for early-stage startups.

The subsequent upskilling helped me expand my portfolio, seek new challenges, and get better-paying client deals.

You’ll adopt the growth mindset

Working 9-to-5 gives you financial stability, but it limits your ability to grow. You’re stuck in a fixed mindset, where the only way to make more money is to get a promotion or switch to a higher-paying job.

But about leveraging skills you already have to make some income on the side?

In my job, I knew I’d get a fixed salary every month, an increment of 3% every year, and some festival bonuses. The growth trajectory was pretty much fixed since the day I joined.

No matter how hard I worked, nothing could help me rise to higher paygrades faster.

Writing online allowed me to scale from 0 to $10K+ a month in less than 2 years — something I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams.

This expanded my vision and mindset. For me, side hustling is about exploring the abundance the universe has to offer.

You’ll learn to embrace the flow

“People should pursue what they’re passionate about. That will make them happier than pretty much anything else” — Elon Musk

Working on a passion project is the fastest way to reach the flow state often. When you do so, you appreciate your work more and can tap into your body’s natural talents.

You focus better
You gain clarity
You feel happier.

Following my passion helped me experience all of this and improved my life holistically.

Writing after working on my 9-to-5 felt like a rejuvenating activity because that’s what I really wanted to do. The more I wrote online the better clarity and focus I got and the more fulfilled I felt.

You’ll make new friends

Side hustles can open opportunities you can cherish for a lifetime. The chances of meeting like-minded people increase when you engage with other side hustlers online.

You can–

Learn from their journey
Collaborate on exciting projects
Find friends who share similar interests
Know about better-paying prospects and opportunities

In the past 3 years, I’ve met some amazing creators online who connected with my writing or share similar journeys as mine. I’ve been a part of online communities and got an incredible amount of support from strangers.

All of this makes the entire process of starting a side hustle, which is hard at times, worth it.

You’ll open up the possibilities for incredible new opportunities

My life has changed completely just because I decided to write along with my day job.

Working on my writing projects gave me the freedom to–

Decide my work hours and deadlines
Choose the work I want to do
Work as much or as little as I want to.

I’ve also improved my communication skills for better outreach and pitching abilities. This helped me expand my writing business and create better opportunities for myself as a creator.

Started my newsletter
Published 3 books
Grew my YouTube channel
Created digital products to help other writers design their dream lives.

I feel content today because my life is in my control, and I get to help others do the same through my writing.

When you have this control and mindset, you feel empowered. This is the part where you’ll love being your own boss.

Knowing that every word I write can impact people around the world is truly incredible. It enriches my creativity and gives me a sense of deep fulfilment.

How side-hustling elevated my life: Final words

We’re living in a day and age where any skill can be monetized.

If you love reading books, start a book recommendation channel.

If you write to express yourself, offer writing services to business owners.

If you’re passionate about workouts, create content for people who want to start their fitness journey.

There’s an audience and multiple platforms for every niche.

That’s why I recommend everyone to start a side hustle if you have a creative idea and some time to invest in your skills.

If you already work in a 9-to-5, it might be a little tiring at times, but will be rewarding in so many ways.

Today, I’m living the life of my dreams by working just 2–3 hours a day only because I started writing as a side hustle while having a full-time job.

More than anything, it improved my life holistically in the following ways —

I discovered my hidden talents like I can write pretty good articles, strategize to market my business, and interpret online algorithms.
I’ve become more open to opportunities that come my way to help me grow personally, professionally, and financially.
I gained clarity about what I want to do in life which ultimately helped me experience the joy of being in the flow state while working on my creative ideas.
I’ve made some genuine friends online who inspire me to learn and create better art every day.
I created better opportunities for myself and others who want to take charge of their lives by being their own boss.

If you’ve been debating about starting a side hustle, this is your sign to get started. It can help you go beyond your limiting beliefs and elevate your life to new heights.

I just launched Freelance Superheroes: A training program for writers who want to earn from writing online without leaving their job, attract gigs outside Upwork/Fiverr, and become irreplaceable. Get it today!

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