Secrets of a Side Hustler: 3 ways to stay sane & have your best year ever.
6 years ago when I started my stationery company, She’s Got Papers also known as my “side hustle” I was also working a full time corporate job, juggling 2 children and trying desperately not to lose all of my eyelashes. I survived that first year by the skin of my teeth but I knew I had to make some changes.
The juggling act of balancing your passion in addition to working a day job and having a family can be really overwhelming. Your time, your patience and even your faith can be tested on a regular basis. Like the day your little girl throws up on the way to school & you have to make a u-turn for home, which also happens to be the day that your supervisor is travelling and misses his connecting flight. To sweeten the grudge the universe is clearly holding against you your manufacturer phones to inform you that he won’t be able to deliver your goods on schedule thereby setting you back 5 days in debuting your fabulous new collection to the world. As you scramble to get your boss back to your city either by plane, train or Mega bus, you race home with your kid to find that you’re out of Pepto Bismol AND chicken soup?? Ever had one of these mornings? Well, here’s what you do:
If there were ever a day to hyperventilate, chip a nail & throw a duvet over your head today ranks high on the list. The better approach? Stop & take a deep breath. Panic & frenzy beget more stress. Stress paralyzes you and clouds your judgment. Prioritize: Which issue demands your attention, like right now? Clearly, if you have a sick child she trumps all. If you’re out of chicken soup, then vegetable it is. No Pepto Bismol? Ginger Ale to the rescue! Tackle one problem at a time and do the best that you can. Your best is always enough & don’t allow anyone to convince you otherwise. Especially not your mother in law who would never, ever be out of chicken soup. Say Thank you: Yup. Right in the middle of the chaos be grateful. Why? Because it could all be worse. One of my greatest lessons has been that what we often see as a calamity is just a glitch. Things can & will happen that are simply out of your control. Having an attitude of gratitude changes your perspective & therefore your approach to coping when things don’t go as planned. The fact is your little girl will likely overcome her virus in 24 hours, your boss will return safely to shore & your inventory will come in. If you’re going to survive the juggle AND save your lashes please take a page out of my playbook. Breath, Prioritize & be grateful. Until the next challenge!
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