You know the old saying, “Do what you love and the money will follow?” Well, it's not just the stuff of cheesy movies and random motivational quotes, it's actually true when done correctly and smartly. Instead of spending time working a 9-5 job you don't enjoy, why not go out there and do something that brings you joy?
If you love what you do and are passionate about it, then it can be easier for you to make money doing the things you love. In fact, a study by the University of California found that people who were more engaged with their work were earning more money than those who didn't feel connected to their work.
If you're like me, you probably love to do the things you're good at and are passionate about. Maybe it's writing, maybe it's making music, or maybe it's reading and learning new things. And while money isn't always the point of these things (and in some cases, they don't even pay), they're all part of who I am and what I enjoy doing. So why wouldn't I want to do them?
I know that when I'm doing what I love, everything falls into place and it's easy for me to focus on what matters most. When we are happy, we are more productive. When we are engaged, we are more creative. And when our work is meaningful to us; when it comes from a place of true passion, we can be more successful at getting it done.
Image by prostooleh on Freepik
But what if you're always looking for work that will make you money but can't find it? Well, maybe it's time to consider taking a break from the traditional mindset of "I have to work for money" and think about ways that money can come from your passions. The world is full of opportunities for people who want to make extra cash doing the things they love: writing articles, making movies, writing music, painting pictures, designing websites and so much more!
You can make money doing anything, as long as you're good at it. If you're an artist, start making art. If you're a musician, start making music and sell yourself on the internet! If you're a runner, run races. And if you love baking cookies, make sure everyone knows about how awesome your cookies are by putting them up for sale.
One of my classmates at the university loves making snacks (samosas, meat pies, and other small chops) just for fun but one day, she decided to start selling them and she made lots of sales because her snacks are very delicious. In less than a year, she has expanded her business and is now selling not just snacks (small chops) but also foods, cakes, and fruit juices.
This is one of her products and you can see it's even branded
She has made a business out of a hobby and has built a brand out of it. She doesn't even own a store (yet), she does all these from the comfort of her home and she advertises her business on Whatsapp and Instagram. That's another thing a lot of people underestimate: the power of the internet. There are thousands of resources on the internet that can help you achieve what you want, You just have to know where to look, how to build connections, and when to grab opportunities.
Do what you're GOOD at. If you're good at writing, then start writing a blog or make use of a platform like hive. If you're good at playing video games, then start playing video games for a living. I emphasized the word "good" because if you aim to make money from your passions, you have to be very good at it. How do you become good at a skill? Consistent learning and practice.
You have to keep learning every day so you can acquire more knowledge that will help you become better. Practice is actually how you become better; it's one thing to know something but it's a totally different thing to be able to apply that knowledge to what you love. When it comes to learning, you don't have to look further than the internet, there are lots of resources on it and most of them are free!
This doesn't apply to only digital skills, you can learn other skills on the internet as well. Cooking? Certainly, I learned how to cook some dishes on the internet. Hairdressing? Some females learned different ways of styling hair on the internet. Makeup? There are tutorials all over the internet for it, on YouTube, Udemy, and even TikTok (lol).
screenshot from YouTube
Most of the tutorials that require payments started as free content, the person behind them built up their reputation over time and can now put a price on what they are offering (That's also another path you can take if you're someone that loves teaching and knows how to do it!). Resources for digital skills are even more easily accessible; you can get courses from Udemy, Udacity, Coursera, edX, skillshare, YouTube, etc. While some of them are paid, others are free.
The beauty of these skills is that you don't even need a certificate to work with them (at least nobody asked you for a certificate before signing up on hive). As long as you can show you're very good at what you do, you're bound to secure a job, either a full-time job or as a freelancer. Full-time jobs (even remotely) can be gotten from a platform like LinkedIn, while freelancing can be done on sites like Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, etc.
Making money doing the things you love isn't easy, it just takes some work and strategic planning. You're not suddenly going to make a million overnight just because you're doing something you love, you're going to run into challenges and obstacles that will make you feel like giving up. But is there any way of making money that is easy and free of challenges? Isn't it better to face those challenges while doing something you love?
Thanks for reading
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