Do you wake up with a huge smile on your face, totally excited to get out there and start your day? If a big “YES” pops up for weekends only, you might want to keep on reading.
Most of us remember this excitement from our childhood, when life was about being happy, having fun and exploring the world. Later, we learn from adults that the “fun” is over and that it is time now to be realistic: work hard, sacrifice yourself and wait until your pension to enjoy life again.
What if that was not true? What if the excitement of our childhood continued and we just added an income stream or a salary to it? When choosing our careers, we are trained to make a reality check: will I make money? Will I be successful? Is that really something that will allow me to pay all my expenses and all cost of living? This is the time when we separate from ourselves and start doing what society expects us to do: we start a certain education, we find a job and we justify our unhappiness with the need to survive and pay our bills.
Is now the time to change this? If yes, try out the following questions and find it out:
1. What is the easiest and most fun thing for me to do?
Look at your life and find out what is really easy and joyful in your everyday living. What is so easy and fun for you that you almost do it automatically and is something that you love and makes you happy? No matter what that is — taking your dog for a walk, posting things on social media or researching crazy stuff on the internet. It can be anything that you enjoy doing. Those things in your life that are fun and easy might be your greatest future income stream. It is the place where you actually don’t “work” anymore; it’s a space of making money with things you enjoy.
2. Can I add this to my life?
Once you find out about what is easy and fun for you, don’t quit your job and start all over from zero. We all have bills to pay and need money to survive. Starting your own business can be an add-on to whatever you do now. It does not have to be either-or. Once you start adding a little bit to it in the evenings or on the weekend, you will soon find out that doing more of what is fun for you will also make the “hard working job” easier. You have something you truly enjoy and something that allows you for paying your bills.
3. How can I turn this into an income stream?
Turning excitement into an income stream is easier as you thought. Now is the time for a different kind of reality check: it that as easy and fun for everybody else as well? No. Only because you love it, does not mean everybody else enjoys it as well. And this is where you start. Could that be difficult and annoying for someone else? Could that be something Other people would pay me for? People are willing to pay for everything they don’t enjoy doing or for everything that will make their live easier. Don’t try to sell yourself or your product. Be the invitation to take away a burden from someone else. And remember: only because it’s fun and easy for you, does not mean it’s fun and easy for everyone.
4. Is now the time to start my own business?
Summarizing the above, the answer is very clear: YES — it is always time to start and it can be as easy as walking your dog. Once you take out the significance of starting a business, you will sense the ease and fun that goes along with it. Adding it to whatever you currently do will allow you to smoothly transition into it, if you enjoy it. And if not, stop it and try something else. The concept of “adding on” allows you to test your ideas without putting pressure on yourself that it has to be a success. And as soon as it works, add more until you finally switch over.
