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How to Generate Multiple Sources of Income

Money can put a lot of pressure on you to make a living and do the things you love, and it’s best to keep your options open

By Jordan MendiolaPublished 4 years ago 5 min read
Photo by Tyler Casey on Unsplash

The only way to truly find work supporting your lifestyle is by trying several different career paths and side hustles.

I would not be making strides towards achieving my financial goals and doing work; I genuinely enjoy it if I always played it safe. As kids, we were taught to be safe. We were taught not to color outside the lines.

We were told we could do anything we wanted.

But life and the system tells us we need to find something stable. We need to go to school, get a degree, work at a job, climb the ladder, get promoted, and then we’ll be happy.

As someone who didn’t finish college and follow the crowd, I’m here to tell you that there are other ways to make a living besides doing what everyone else does.

You Have to Be Willing to Bet on Yourself

If you’re too afraid to try taking risks in things you don’t know, then you’re going to be crippled by fear and regret later down the road.

I didn’t start betting on myself and trying new things until I graduated from high school. As a kid, I focused on getting good grades to attend college and do what society thinks I should do.

7 Ventures I’ve explored that earned me money:

- Photoshoots for $40 per session

- Creating monetized YouTube videos (Didn’t make much)

- Dog walking for $20/half-hour or $30/full hour

- The Army Reserves earned me $35k on deployment.

- Stocks that have net profited $10k in my first year of investing.

- Writing that has earned me $600 within my first year.

- Marketing for an incredible company that brings in $1,200/month

- Everything that started as a hobby turned out to help me make a living.

- I’m not saying you need to monetize everything you do.

What I’m saying is that if you take a chance to try new ventures, they can help support your lifestyle and allow you to worry less about money while still being able to pursue work that gives you fulfillment.

Being Younger Gives You More Leverage

Get ready for my Gary Vaynerchuk speel here. He’s so inspirational and has ultimately shifted my mindset towards being happy.

When you’re young and don’t have kids and a family, the world is your oyster. You can literally do anything, especially with the way the internet has allowed us to do that.

It’s exponentially easier for the 22-year old to take risks than for the 42-year-old who has three kids, no time for himself, and has ten years of seniority at his job.

So what’s the advantage you have when you’re younger?

Time.

Without time, there's a ticking time clock in your head that’s telling you it’s getting too late in life to go high-risk.

Age and external life factors that come with growing up slow a person down. It begins to mold them into this person they didn’t want to be. But that’s what happens when you’re young and follow the crowd versus going for it and giving yourself a fair chance.

Many young people are taking giant risks, ad it’s paying off,

If you’re young, don’t waste your time going with plan B.

Start with plan A and give everything a chance.

Don’t Let Other People’s Opinions Cripple You

Having people support you should matter in the same way having no one support you would.

The only person you need is yourself.

Before graduating high school, I didn’t bet on myself, so I didn’t believe that I could do anything as fulfilling as I am right now.

Without the loving support of my family, friends, and my girlfriend, I wouldn’t be achieving my goals and dreams. Ultimately, it comes down to you.

If you let anyone that doubts you get to you, you most likely won’t make it to your destination.

You may want to start a Twitch stream and play your favorite games for a living. People are giving themselves a chance to explore other avenues for income more than ever.

It’s great to see the opportunities that open up when you step outside of your comfort zone.

Don’t let a slow start or lack of instant gratification deter your motivation.

How to Find Your Passion and Make Income From It

If it were easy to create a living wage on the things people love, then everyone would be doing it. The fact and the matter is that it’s hard as hell.

Everything that comes with taking risks and betting on yourself has to come from a place deep within you.

It takes planning, insurmountable grind, and execution.

If you’re completely lost, here are some things I would recommend doing:

- Make a list of everything you love to do

- Circle the top three ventures you have the most passion for

- Out of these three, choose one you wouldn’t mind sticking to.

- Get started on your passion and make it a project.

- Set aside time to pursue this passion project (typically in the after-hours or anything after work).

- Commit for at least 6 months

- If you see progress, stick to it, and keep going.

- If you lose passion or motivation, explore options 2 or 3

- Research jobs that are offered in your field of passion

- Network online, try new platforms to see what works, and say YES!

This is exactly what I’ve done for the past four years, and it’s gotten me to where I want to be.

Everyone has different ways of achieving their goals, but if you imitate my list of things to do, you’ll be in a good spot.

Final Thought

The ultimate goal in life is to be happy. As long as you’re happy, you don’t have to worry about anything else. Just keep doing what you’re doing.

If you’re not happy, apply the knowledge I’ve shared with you in this article and get started on your new venture.

Bet on yourself. Stop worrying about failure. There will be highs and lows regardless of the venture you're trying to execute. Trust the process.

Other people’s opinions can be crippling, so focus on your own.

Look for ways to monetize your passion projects by focusing on one venture at a time.

It won’t be easy.

I am here to support anyone who needs help with pursuing work that’s meaningful to them! (email in my bio).

What is one passion project you’ve always wanted to pursue?

how to

About the Creator

Jordan Mendiola

Jordan Mendiola is a horizontal construction engineer in the U.S. Army, Mendiola loves hands-on projects and writing inspirational blog posts about health, fitness, life, and investing.

linktr.ee/Jordanmendiola

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