So today I have a question for you:
WHY?
Why did you start a side hustle?
Why are you listening to this pep talk?
Why do you want to quit your job and work for yourself?
What would be different about your life tomorrow if you woke up and had exactly what you wanted?
It is a very important question to answer. One that you have to be crystal clear on, or else you will quit.
So I before I share with you why I started my side hustle, I want to share with you Why I Still Haven’t Lost Those 30lbs I Told You About in Episode 18.
And the reason I tell you guys this personal stuff is because I want you to get to know more about me, what motivates me, why I’m giving so much content and time away for free in hopes that it motivates you.
And even though losing weight is something I say I really want, I haven’t put the time, energy, and effort into it. My actions don’t align with my words.
A couple years ago, I started another failed attempt to lose the weight via a women’s wellness program through my doctor and had all my blood work done.
Everything is normal is except low Vitamin D (and I live in Ohio and it’s winter, so apparently that’s pretty common in these parts).
I was secretly hoping for something in those results to scare me. To motivate me into trying harder.
Because I can’t see what would be measurably different about my life if I were 30 pounds lighter.
I looked like this when my husband and I met 10 years ago. He still loves me. I have amazing friends and family that love me. I feel great. I can wear the clothes I want to wear. I can run, I can squat, I can do pushups, I can lift heavy weights.
Except I want my arms, legs, and hips to be smaller. And I’m pretty sure it’s not healthy to be 5’3” and weigh 170 pounds.
I also recognize that just because I don’t have any health problems now does not mean I won’t have them later due to this excess weight I wear.
So I’m trying to reframe the why. Trying to find a reason that motivates me, because simply being smaller will have no measurable impact on my life tomorrow. Why do I want to lose weight? It’s still a question I’m trying to answer…
I’m also trying to believe that it’s possible. Because I know what I’m capable of when I believe something is possible.
On the other hand, when I decided that I wanted to start side hustle so that I could quit my day job, I was extremely motivated. My actions align with my words.
I made time for it every. single. day.
I got up an hour earlier than I need to to get to work on time to check email and respond to Facebook messages. I worked on it all weekend long. I let my boss know my goals and intentions so that I didn’t have to live a double life.
I shared the finances of the business with my husband and ensure that he knows I’m investing every last dime I make back into the business – so he could see that all the time I spent up in my office and not with him was paying off and moving toward something
I’ve invested in premium courses that I’ve finished and hired a mentor – because while I know every single last piece of the tech you need to run an online business and how to set it up in my sleep, I needed to learn how to market myself.
Where to find my ideal customers. How to write copy. How to price my products and services. How to close a sale. How to stand out from everyone else doing what I do. How to get over all the fears I have about conflict, saying no, and setting boundaries. Realizing what my knowledge is actually worth in the marketplace.
I didn’t do it for the money. I made the elusive six figures at my day job. I could have stayed there and been able to make ends meet and then some.
(Okay, that’s not entirely true. I like money because money = freedom. I’m not trying to make a million dollars this year. But when it happens in a few years, I’m gonna love it.)
I wanted freedom. I wanted to decide what I do with my time. I want to empower people. I get so much joy out of seeing others succeed and helping them do something they didn’t think was possible.
I want to make a difference. When I help a wellness coach or a senior caregiver or a piano teacher or a graphic designer build a website and it enables her to connect with someone and change their life, that gives me pure joy.
So HERE’S THE THING…
I don’t like risk.
I was grinding away for over three years. In the very beginning, I wasn’t willing to spend a single extra penny on my business unless I was absolutely 100% positive that people were going to buy what I was selling.
What a huge miscalculation! Why would my customers invest in something I wasn’t willing to invest in?
You know what I didn’t give any credit to in that first 6 months? And what kept me from being able to build this business faster?
My why.
This business is successful because my why outweighs any external factors.
It's not because I’m scrappy and did everything on a shoestring budget. I see now how that hurt me. How it slowed my progress down.
MY WHY IS why was I willing to spend every moment of my free time helping people learn how to build their websites – for free?
MY WHY IS why was I willing to invest every penny that I earn into business coaching, a high-end email marketing system, a fancy-schmancy online course plugin, and people to help me with the workload and not pay myself until I quit my day job?
I DID IT Because I could see exactly how my life will be different when I don’t have to go to my day job every day.
Because I had the vision then for what my life looks like today.
I can picture exactly what those days will look like. I see myself healthy, happy, and fulfilled. I can see how work doesn’t feel like work when what I’m doing helps other people. I can see the impact it has on other people. And that’s why no matter what happens, I don’t quit.
So let’s talk about you.
What is your goal?
– Is it to quit your job and make $10,000 per month?
– Is it to create an online course and get 500 people to sign up?
– Is it to launch your first group coaching program by the end of the year?
Why do you want that?
– Do you want to quit your job and make $10 grand a month so you can be happier, focus on clients you enjoy and have the freedom to travel with your family? (That’s what I want).
– Do you want to launch that online course to 500 people because your husband isn’t supportive of your business and you want to prove him wrong?
– Do you want to launch your group coaching program because you know you can help transform people’s lives?
There are a lot of things out of your control that can derail your progress. But the what and the why are totally in your control.
Your assignment for today is…
- Identify your what and why.
- Tweet me your why @shannonlmattern with #peptalksforsidehustlers.
Today’s pep talk is brought to you by Bluehost. Go to www.shannonmattern.com/bluehost and get 36 months of web hosting for just $2.95 a month. That’s less than one trip to Starbucks a month – and if you’re anything like me, you’re at Starbucks more than that!
Then you can sign up for my Free 5 Day Website Challenge at www.shannonmattern.com/5day and I’ll show you step by step how to get started building your new website for your side hustle.
