The lockdown and the whole Covid19 debacle hasn’t been easy on anyone. Unfortunately, more and more people are being laid off due to the pandemic and the crashing economy around the world. In my blog posts, I have time and again talked about the gig economy and the need of having a side hustle. How these two can be a real help into getting started with a small business of your own. Building your freelancing career or establishing a side business is easier said than done. The competition out there is cut-throat. I consider getting an office job, a walk in the park if you compare it with a successful freelancing career. So if you are someone who has made it – pat yourself on the back.

How about we first talk about the difference in freelancing and side hustle?

So side hustle is something that you are the owner of. A side hustle isn’t your part-time job; it is your asset. If someone else is in control of when you get paid, then it isn’t a side hustle. Side hustle ideally has to be something you are passionate about. For example, you like to paint. You are very good at it. You decide that you will sell your paintings, hence art becomes your side hustle. Anytime when you don’t feel like painting, you can stop and take a break and then get back to it again. You are the boss. 

But Freelancing is different because technically you still have a boss. The timings are flexible, you don’t have to travel, but still, you need to deliver the work. You have to do it once you have accepted to do the job. Still, it can be something you love and always wanted to do. 

Now how do you even get started? How do you choose what to do? And then how do you go about it? I get such questions every day on my blog and the first thing I ask them is what are you passionate about? What do you enjoy doing? What makes you feel accomplished? And most people don’t have an idea about it. And even if someone has figured out what want to do, it is likely many people are doing it already, which means you have serious competition. 

So what do you need to succeed in the competition? Well, you need skills. You need to be competent at what you will be doing, what you will be offering as a service out there. There are amazing opportunities out there, you just need to focus and work on refining your skills. Websites like Udemy, Coursera, Udacity, Linkedin Learning, Skillshare, Khan Academy are a blessing. You can learn anything you want from these websites. From cooking to learning how to play the guitar, from photography to learning to code, you can learn to do anything now without stepping out of your home. Pakistan, you can visit Femprow and find courses on how to get started in Entrepreneurship. If you are someone who wanted to get into the IT sector, check out Code Girls. The bottom line is there plenty of resources to help you get started, you just have to have the will to learn, to work on your abilities, and then reach out to the world. 

To wrap it up, whether it is a side hustle you are looking for or you want to get into freelancing, you need to be good at the service you will be offering to people. A Chinese philosopher called Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” I couldn’t agree more with his message. 

On average, people spend 13 years and two months of their lifetime being at work. I think life is simply too short to be miserable for 13 years. That is why I say, find the job, the work that fulfills you, that inspires you, that makes you happy, that is your true calling.

I am going to end this one with a very wise saying I read once and it still resonates with me. It made me think about what I wanted to do in life. What I needed to do to be happy and content.

“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.” – Alan Cohen

My message – Go for it!

In the next blog posts, I will be talking about:

So stay tuned.

You can check out some of the blog posts I did earlier related to this topic.

Start Your Freelancing Career

3 Reasons Why You Should Give Freelancing A Thought

Why Women Need To Be Financially Independent

Or check out the entire Work From Home section.

The post Side Hustle and Freelancing: Part 1 appeared first on Sanam Asif.