Stay ConnectedThe Side Hustler’s Perspective Podcast is fuel for your mind and creative grind.
Each week, Coach Scotty Russell puts you in a position to get paid to play creating work that lights you up…
All while navigating a day job, family life, the inner critic, and more.
This is for those who want to master the art of healthy hustling while growing their creative business.
You can follow Scotty on Twitter @ScottytheCoach and IG @CoachScottyRussell for all things coaching and art.
Copyright: © All Rights Reserved 2020
Side Hustler's Series Part 2 of 4: 9 Benefits of Side Hustling
The Dream You've Been Sold
Most likely, you’re a listener/reader for two reasons:
If so, you've tuned into the right place.
I focus on the side hustle part because hustlin' is a habit, and it's all I know.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to do their own thing full-time right out of the gates. In fact, I'd say the majority of people don't go this route.
You were sold the dream of the traditional route of getting student loans to fund college, so you can land a good job.
You then get married, get a mortgage, have kids, and do the same routine day-in and day-out.
The goal is to pay your dues at your day job to help someone else’s dream come true in hopes of retiring around sixty. Supposedly, that's when your life begins?
If you're like me, you've realized this isn't your dream at all.
Something deep inside you craves to go against the grain and blaze your own path.
I've had this internal craving since college where I was creating tattoos, logos, etc. to pay for video games and 30 packs of Busch Light.
This craving has only grown stronger as I've spent over five years building Perspective-Collective outside my day job.
Trust me when I say I've invested thousands of hours and two power plants worth of energy into finding ways to transform my hobbies into a monetized side hustle/side business—all outside a day job.
I’ve figured out what works through A TON of trial and error (extra emphasis on the error part).
No doubt, it's been a lot of work to navigate this ship to where it's sailing today. Regardless of the storms and choppy waters I've dealt with along the way, every ounce of effort I've invested in my dream has been worth it.
Pursue Your Gift & Make an Impact
If you’re not fully convinced nor confident that you’re ready to invest in the long haul, I have 9 super-convincing benefits of side hustling to share with ya.
Before I begin, I feel it's important to note that there's nothing wrong with having a day job.
You may have landed one that you love and have no desire to do your own thing full-time. That's totally cool!
You also may be in a position where you'll be in your day job for a while due to personal situations like mine. That's cool too!
This episode is solely fuel for satisfying that inner craving to do more with your gift. That's it!
Without further ado, the following benefits are based on my experience, as well as anecdotal evidence from my juggernaut creative friends and podcast guests.
#1. Find Your Purpose
This is #1 for a reason because I know what it's like to feel like you have nothing to offer the world.
If you go to bed each night without something to look forward to, something is wrong. It’s time to change that with a side hustle that feels like play.
I'm jazzed to get up each day because of my side hustle of helping other creatives build their killer side hustles.
I look forward to putting in the work and reapings these 9 benefits that come with it.
Life is dull and unfulfilling when you lack a purpose—side hustles can change that.
#2. Cultivate Killer Relationships
You may have heard the phrases, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” or “Your network = your net worth.” I believe both of these are 100% true.
I also believe in the quote from Jim Rhome, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
Relationships are everything. Your side hustle can help connect you with like-minded people who have similar goals, work ethics, and values.
Two things to keep top of mind:
You’ll be surprised by the genuine and abundant friendships you’ll build through your side hustle over time.
#3. Attract a Tribe of Like-Minded Freaks
"Embracing your weird" seems to be the storyline of 2019 and I'm all for it—the weirder the better.
Starting a side hustle or a passion project allows you to go deep on things that interest YOU.
It's a playground to experiment and embrace the YOU in YOU-nique.
Chances are you're not alone—your weird quirks and qualms are most certainly shared by other weirdos.
When you publicly share and own your YOU-niquness, you increase the odds of attracting a like-minded tribe of freaks who vibe to your unique flavor of weird.
Then you circle back to Benefit #2 and cultivate killer relationships—it's a win-win.
#4. Add New Skills to Your Arsenal
This one is obvious but important to stress. My side hustle has allowed me to learn skills that I’ve been able to leverage for raises at work, charge more in freelance, and attract more opportunities.
Pursuing Perspective-Collective has taught me how to:
I could keep going, but you get the picture. Whatever you want to learn, you can create a passion project around it.
#5. Build Confidence & Overcome Fear
I had little to no confidence in myself or my abilities for about the first 24-25 years of my life...until I started Perspective-Collective.
I was able to find my groove when I shared my work consistently on Instagram.
Facing the things I feared the most—like sharing my work, speaking in public, asking for what I wanted in life, or saying NO to people—has resulted in some incredible breakthroughs in my creative career.
Leaning into this fear has helped me unlock confidence in my purpose, my creative abilities, and my mission.
Side hustling builds confidence when you're persistently getting uncomfortable. Period.
#6. Turn Your Work into Play
Hobbies are fun and having fun = play.
There are no set-in-stone requirements that you have to turn that hobby into a side hustle, especially if your play begins to feel like work.
If your side hustle isn’t fun, it’s just another soul-sucking job. Keep your inner creative child alive and enjoy the messy process.
However, when your work becomes play, your potential is unlimited. The passion and fun will fuel you during the low moments.
#7. Make an Impact
I used to chase the glory: more money, more followers, more engagement, etc. However, when I focused on serving people and the impact I had on them, I found a lot of these manifest as a byproduct.
Creating for impact means contributing to something bigger than yourself—the greater whole.
Making an impact leaves a legacy far after I'm buried six feet deep.
I’m hoping the podcast and the Side Hustler's Coaching Program are things my son can be proud of and people can find value in for years to come.
#8. Generate Extra Income
Who doesn’t love to make a little extra money on the side?
For me, money isn't the focus anymore, it's become a byproduct of Benefit #7 and serving people like you.
I've learned that money and opportunities will come your way when you're ready and prepared for them.
Here are multiple ways you can make supplemental income with your side hustle: freelancing, slanging merch, creating digital products, consulting, coaching, teaching, influencer marketing, social media marketing, content creation, affiliates, etc.
For me, I’ve done a little bit of everything. The extra income I've generated over the years has helped me pay off credit cards, put a down payment on my wife's whip, cover emergency medical expenses, take vacations, donate to charities like Inch x Inch, and even buy special gifts for the lovely lady in my life.
Even if extra income isn’t your intent with your side hustle, just know there's a good chance you could probably monetize what you’re doing.
#9. Win Your Freedom
Again, maybe you’re not looking to take your side hustle full-time, and that’s totally okay. I know tons of powerhouse creatives who still hold down a day job like Brian Steely and Nick Slater.
If you're like me, you eventually strive to do your thing full-time.
I have a game plan to get there, but I'm still a few years away from taking that leap.
However, I’ve seen how side hustles and passion projects has unlocked financial and time freedom for my friends like Pandr Design, Lauren Hom, Musketon, and Elizabeth Gray of The Grayter Good.
When they started to take their side hustle more seriously, they were able to evolve them into lucrative creative careers.
Why can’t this be you and me too?
Share Your Gift with the World
Maybe you're ready to transform your hobby to a side hustle.
Maybe you're ready to take your side hustle to the next level?
Whatever it is, I hope you see the crazy benefits a side hustle can yield when you tap into your gifts and share it with the world.
So what if you have a day job? Don't let that hold you back from building a side hustle.
Leverage your day job to fuel your dream job, and have some fun in the process!
Need Some Extra Help? Check out The Side Hustler's Coaching Program
If you're finding that you want some extra hand-holding and accountability to take the next step, sign up for the Side Hustler's Coaching Program now to join the waitlist for September 16th's launch week.
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Side Hustler's Series Part 1 of 4: 3 Levels to Find Your Wolf Pack Humble Side Hustle Beginnings “Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.”— Ziad K. Abdelnour I've been side hustling for a hot minute now. One of my bigger side hustles was right out of college when a buddy and I started a clothing brand called Daydreamin' Clothing Incorporated. We quickly changed it to Company because we were far from a corporation, but it just sounded cool. Well, before lettering was a thing on Instagram, I was making hand-lettered logos and graphics for our brand back in 2010. We started off with our logo on a few shitty Gildan logo tees, then ordered some business cards through Vista Print and called ourselves a business. While our original launch was hot garbage, I'm proud of it because we were young dreamers taking big action. Those first few logo tees evolved into more complex designs as we filed an LLC. Two years into it, we were sponsoring rappers, skaters, motocross bikers, and local "influencers." Three years into it, we were hosting events at clubs, doing pop-ups shops, and getting in brick and mortar and online stores like Kazbah. We were making shit happen and figuring it out along the way. My partner was the point-of-contact string-puller, accountant, and fulfillment manager. I was obviously the artist, designer, and the marketing/promo lead. We balanced each other out well and brought in help for extra support. In our fourth year, we were getting serious and ready to elevate our product offerings. We lined up a huge investor and locked down a warehouse for creating custom threads and patterns for whatever we could scheme up. This was the turning point—it became a shit or get off the pot kind of thing. The Banana Split My partner was all-in and ready to quit his job to pursue this. I was in the middle of changing day jobs, had a new mortgage, and was sitting on a pile of private student loan debt. I wasn't as eager to take the risk and wanted to keep doing this as my secondary "full-time" side hustle. Things went sour when we discussed splitting shares of the company if we went with the investor. We didn't see eye-to-eye on percentages and my partner felt like he could make this dream happen on his own. We ended up making like a banana and split. That's when I started Perspective-Collective in 2014. I had made up my mind I was going solo, and I thought I didn't need anyone's help to get to where I wanted to be in life. I spent the first year obsessively learning hand-lettering and posting daily on Instagram. I slowly began developing my style, finding my voice, and growing an audience. I hit a wall the second year. I felt called to do more than just share pretty polished Instagram posts. However, I was trapped in my little Cedar Falls, Iowa, bubble and had no idea what the next step was. I felt so isolated and stuck, but the cure was doing something radical to rattle my comfort cage. Rattling the Comfort CageI found the Creative South Conference through Instagram and made a decision I was going to find a way to attend. After my successful proposal to my day job, I flew to Columbus, GA, for a life-changing experience in April 2015. This conference allowed me to attach myself to people doing things I didn't know were possible. It revealed the next steps and provided answers to questions I didn't even know I was seeking. Most importantly, it showed me the power of getting around like-minded people who knew more than I did. This is the power of community. I went home on fire and immediately joined the Seanwes community. They welcomed me with open arms at the conference and eliminated the feeling of isolation. It was a pricey investment, but definitely worth it in the grand scheme of things. Find Your Wolf Pack From there, I joined an accountability group for the next level of connection. Along the way, I would pick up mentors like Jason Craig and Brian Manley, who took me under their wing in regards to public speaking. Every year, my side hustle evolved as I added something new to the tool belt. Drawing turned into blogging. Blogging turned into speaking. Speaking turned into a podcast. Somewhere in between, I started teaching workshops and selling products. Doing all of this outside my day job has helped me build my own community. It's put me in a position where I can pursue coaching other creatives to build something of their own outside their day jobs. The point I want to make? None of this would have happened if I thought I had all the answers and had been too prideful to ask for help. I've had help at each step along the way. Yes, sometimes, you have to to be the lone wolf and make mistakes in order to learn and push forward. In my experience, seeking out a wolf pack and asking for help allows you to bypass obstacles and get on the fast track for growth much quicker than being a lone wolf. Wolves survive and thrive by being in packs. If you're tired of feeling stuck and isolated on an island, I have a few levels for finding your wolf pack. Level 1: Find Community Finding community was the spark I needed to get off my island. Going to a conference—where I didn't know a soul—and leaving with people I considered family changed the game. I can't stress enough how important it is to get around like-minded people who are doing or strive to do the same thing you're trying to accomplish. Finding a community doesn't have to revolve around money. If you can't afford a conference or an online "gated" community, don't sweat it. There are free communities on Facebook, Slack, Instagram DM Groups, Online Forums, etc. that you can start with. In fact, it's the main reason I created The Perspective-Collective FREE private group. I want hungry side hustlers like you to be able to access like-minded creatives across the world sharing feedback, resources, and encouragement. This could be a great wolf pack to start with and we'd love to have ya. Level 2: Join/Create an Accountability Group Once you join a community and start building a rapport with people, you'll notice there are certain individuals whom you most vibe with. These are perfect candidates to start an accountability group with. Think of this as your tightest homies in the wolf pack. You guys form your own mini wolf pack. When I was in the Seanwes group back in 2015-2016, I had a lot in common with people like Colin Tierney, Eric Friedensohn, and Terence Tang. We were all lettering artists who focused on kicking out content, producing products, and growing an audience. We formed a little accountability Slack group where we'd do weekly Google Hangouts. This consisted of sharing: weekly progress updates short-term and long-term goals big wins areas for improvement things we could use some extra accountability on We slowly expanded our circle with more unique and like-minded people. Our group is still going and growing, and it's like a family reunion when we link up at conferences. Level 3A: Join a Mastermind If you've outgrown what your community and accountability group can offer, a Mastermind could be what you're looking for. It's typically an exclusive niche group of high-performers in the same focus as you. You'll usually need an invite or have to pay to become a member. For example, someone like Lewis Howes has a gated community called the Inner Circle. If you want more access to him, extra accountability, and greater exposure to people who are doing what you do but at a higher level, you could pay and apply to join his Mastermind. This isn't always the case though. If you and a few from your accountability group are all hyper-growing in the same direction, you could evolve and create a tight-knit Mastermind that's laser-focused on helping each other scale your businesses. However, sometimes you may want something more intimate, hands-on, and more direct to someone. You just may need a coach or a mentor, which is where I am today. Level 3B: Hire a Coach or MentorThere's a bit of a difference between coaching and mentorship. Coaching is more of a short-term structured relationship while a mentor is a long-term relationship that could expand from coaching. Hand Holding & Holding Feet In 2019, getting a coach has single-handedly elevated my side hustle business to the next level. Back in episode 101 last year in October, I talked about how my gut was telling me to take my business and podcast in a different direction. I knew I was ready to niche down and make a bigger impact in a focused direction, but I wasn't sure which steps to take. In February this year, I was fortunate enough to link up with Tom Ross, CEO of Design Cuts. In May, I started meeting with Hand Lettering Educator and Coach, Mye De Leon. Both immediately started helping me shape the bigger picture and held my feet to the fire to take action. I was stumbling in the right direction on my own, but progress was slow. However, getting help from coaches helped me gain clarity and traction quickly on this new path. These two have already accomplished what I strive to do and have helped others achieve similar results. I desperately needed them to hold my hand and teach me the ropes. Tom helped me embrace my identity as the Side Hustle Guy and how to communicate it to others. He also helped me build the Side Hustler's War Chest and explode my email list in the first month. Mye De Leon has been teaching me email marketing, copywriting, and setting up this 3-month Side Hustler's Coaching Program. Both have played pivotal roles in helping me lay the new foundation of Perspective-Collective moving forward. Not going to lie, coaching and mentors are an investment. However, you're able to easily get your ROI plus more if you find the right fit and apply yourself. The Biggest Names You Look Up to Invested in Help The people you see making the biggest waves in the creative industry have all sought out help one way or another. The following friends of the podcast are making huge waves. However, investing in business coaches or creative mentors sparked their breakthroughs. Read through their testimonials to see how a coach helped guide them to success. Pandr Design Co. After the first few months of starting our business, we knew we didn't know how to run it, what to charge, or how to get clients. Investing in a coach was the best choice we made for our business. The first 6 months we had an hour-long call every week, and the last 6 months we had an hour-long call once a month. Working with our coach helped us set bigger goals, get consistent clients coming in, have a pricing structure, etc. It built the foundation for the 6-figure business we run today. Lisa Quine I was just starting to think about life as a full-time freelancer. I knew nothing about running a business, so I knew I would need to do something to educate myself. I hired a coach running a summer special for two 1-hour phone calls for $500. She helped me get my thoughts aligned, pushing out the negative ones, and making sure my thoughts were on things like my goal, salary, marketing, etc. After our coaching sessions, she’s also hired me for 3 mural projects and gives me great exposure across Cleveland. Mye De Leon My progress was slow. I wanted to move forward faster and leverage the knowledge of someone who’s been in the trenches and can teach me how I can reach my goals sooner. I found community first and then was recommended the right coach. We met twice a month and regularly chatted via Slack. Coaching helped me massively increase my email list, where I was able to pre-sell my course for $17k. I recommend getting a coach because it helps you achieve clarity and focus and gets you to where you want to go faster. Tom Ross I had grown a large audience on my old design blog, but it was very disengaged and felt hollow. I was relying on advertising income and felt like I hadn’t built something truly long-term and meaningful. Meeting with my mentor once a week led to the biggest win of gaining clarity. I dropped all the annoying ads. I focused on engagement over vanity metrics. Truth be told, success came further down the line, in the form of my current company Design Cuts and my personal brand. But none of this could have happened without getting that earlier foundational clarity. Accelerate Your Growth & Provide Clarity To summarize, being the lone wolf is hard. It's a lot easier to survive and thrive when a wolf pack of like-minded savage beasts has your back. It's doable, but side-hustling solo is hard. Attaching yourself to a community, accountability group, mastermind, coach and/or mentor will accelerate your growth and provide clarity. Don't be too proud to admit that you don't have it all figured out. The answer is always no if you don't ask for help! Having people help wall you through the forest is way quicker than blindly stumbling through it on your own. Get off your isolated island and find your wolf pack. Need Some Extra Help? Check out The Side Hustler's Coaching ProgramIf you're finding that you want some extra hand-holding and accountability to take the next step, sign up for the Side Hustler's Coaching Program now to join the waitlist for September 16th's launch week. Shownotes Download your FREE Side Hustler’s War Chest Get your FREE audiobook download from Audible Join our Private Global Facebook Community of Creators Listener of the Week: dontreallycare of USA Podcast Editor: Aine Brennan Shownotes Editor: Paige Garland Video Editor: Colton Bachar Podcast music: Blookah Want to Support the Show? Become a backer on Patreon Leave an Apple Podcast Rating and Review Share the show on social media or follow the Perspective Podcast Instagram Subscribe via your favorite podcast player: Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Play Music Overcast
Full show notes at the publisherJosh Horton on Creative Works & the Power of Community
I want to start this one off with a quote from Jim Rhone:
“You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”
Trying to make it big by doing it on your own is hard. It’s easy to burn out and feel like you don’t have anyone in your corner during hard times.
I tried doing it solo and shouldering the load by myself. It led to a lot of creative funks and wasted time.
The people I did surround myself with couldn’t provide me any value or insight, so I continued to blindly try to find my path.
I know I preach this often, but finding a creative community has been one of the biggest keys to my creative transformation. I wouldn’t have become the “side hustle pizza podcast guy” if I continued to pretend that I could figure it out on my own.
Going to conferences is what opened my eyes to the power of relationships. They gave me a glimpse of my future potential and allowed me to attach myself to people who were doing what I strived to accomplish.
Community is everything, and today’s guest is someone who’s building community and providing transformative experiences for creatives like you and me day-in and day-out.
Today, I share the story of my buddy Josh Horton, and no, not the professional juggler.
This Josh is the mastermind behind the conference, events, and workshops hosted by Creative Works, rooted in Memphis, TN.
Josh and the Creative Works team bring in some of the biggest names in the world to help inspire, connect, and empower our creative community.
He’s assembled an Avengers: End Game-like cast of juggernaut speakers and workshop leaders like Lisa Congdon, Lincoln Design Co., Adé Hogue, and Ty Mattson (to name a few).
Plus, you know by now that your boy is doing a Live Podcast, and I’m bringing on the stage some past friends of the podcast. I’m talking about Maggie Enterrios of Little Patterns and Rogie King of Superteamdeluxe and Dribbble. It’s going to be an entertaining and value-packed session I can assure you that.
This is close to selling out, so snag your conference ticket and workshop tickets over at Conference.CreativeWorks.co.
Today however, Josh and I go deep on:
If you feel like you’re isolated on an island and are seeking a community to get involved in, this episode was made for you.
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Ruben Rojas on Murals, Creating for Impact, & Avoiding Mediocrity
Our lives are like a book. It’s a story comprised of chapters strung together which reach a conclusion.
Thankfully, we’re the authors of our own story. We call the shots on how the next chapter will be written and how our story will end.
When a chapter doesn’t fit the bigger picture that you see for yourself, you have the ability to recreate and reinvent yourself to change the plot of your story.
Today’s guest was an all-star in the real estate and then the financial world. He’s experienced rock bottom and bankruptcy when the stock market crashed, which caused him to reinvent himself multiple times to get to where he is today.
I’m talking about the newest homie in the Perspective Podcast family, Ruben Rojas. He's a lifestyle artist/muralist, activist, speaker, and creative jock (it’s always nice to find more of these rare hybrids) who's making plays in sunny California.
Ruben’s mission is to create global change and to empower communities through the lens of love. He does this through his Non-Profit Beautify Earth which strives to be The Cure for Sad Walls.
In today’s episode, Ruben dishes out wisdom nuggets on:
If you’re stuck in life and need some inspiration for writing your next chapter, then this episode with Ruben will no doubt empower you.
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If you enjoyed and found this episode value, I need your help spreading it! Please, share a screenshot or video of the episode you’re listening to and tag me on Instagram at @prspctv_cllctv and @perspectivepodcast—and let’s connect.
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Celebrate All Life's W's, Whether Big or Small
Imagine you just watched your favorite sports team win a championship or witnessed a Golden Buzzer performance of a lifetime on The Voice. Wouldn't it be weird as hell if they didn't celebrate that accomplishment?
Now, think of this on a smaller scale—like getting a small $.50 raise or landing your first online sale. Isn't that something worth recognizing too?
You'd think that having any type of win, whether small or big, would be cause for some type of celebration.
However, when you're wired like I am, a lot of these small wins gets shoved to the side because there are bigger mountains to climb.
If you listened to last week's part one of this two-part episode series, you know the blessing and the curse that comes with being a mountain climber.
It's great to constantly chase becoming the best version of yourself, but at the same time, you can't lose sight of life in between the mountains.
Part two of this Climbing Mountains & Popping Bottles series is all about celebrating W's (wins), no matter how big or small they are.
The L's From Not Acknowledging W's
I've mentioned this in the past, but back in April 2016, I had a life-changing speaking opportunity at Creative South Conference.
It was the second talk I had ever given—opening for a Draplin keynote in front of a packed Springer Opera House of around 800 creative souls.
This was by far the biggest thing I've ever done. I came prepared and absolutely crushed it, which resulted in an overwhelming standing ovation.
I proceeded to go backstage, take a shot of Jameson to calm my nerves, then party the last night away.
I'm bringing this up because this talk exploded my creative career —yet I can barely remember it.
My biggest regret is failing to make time to be alone and reflect on it. Instead, I spent the next day hungover on my flight home working on an online presentation I was giving later that week.
While my full talk is on my YouTube Channel, I've still never been able to fully recreate that moment to soak up and appreciate.
Avoiding the L's
This is the driving catalyst for why I'm writing this today.
The message I'm trying to hammer in your head? You gotta pop bottles and acknowledge when good shit happens in your life.
From my experience, when you constantly ignore when things go right in your life, you make it easier to get wrapped up in negativity when taking an L (loss).
Not acknowledging wins:
2 Ways to Celebrate W's
Action Step #1: Acknowledge Them (duh)
This is pretty self-explanatory, and I assume you saw this coming.
Popping bottles is just a fancy metaphor for celebrating wins. Celebrating wins is just a more extravagant word for acknowledging the good things in your life.
If you're not going to figuratively or literally pop bottles to celebrate, the least you could do is acknowledge those good things.
From now on, it doesn't matter if I crush another speaking gig, celebrate a podcast download milestone, or pay off a small debt, all scenarios get acknowledged and/or celebrated by some form of:
Yes, all of these are minor things and most don't require any form of blowing cheddar.
More importantly, they allow me to press pause, appreciate the moment, and celebrate with other people.
Acknowledging W's helps you time stamp these milestones in your noggin, so you can easily go back and relive that moment.
THE CHALLENGE: Recognize your top win of the day by using one of my tactics or coming up with your own. Bonus points for taking a screenshot and sharing with me on your Instagram Stories.
Action Step #2. Hoard Your Victories
This tactic has been a lifesaver for me!
Some brief context: around the end of 2017, I was starting to slip into a depressed funk.
People were posting their Instagram Top 9's, and it felt like everyone:
The inner critic was beating me down and convincing me that I was a worthless turd.
The thing that snapped me back to reality was a little something I started doing at the beginning of February that year called Hoarding My Victories.
I had recently pulled myself out of another depressed funk, which you can hear all about back in episode 25: Dealing With Creative Funks & Feeling Invisible. I don't know what inspired me to do this, but I started a little running tasklist in my Wunderlist App called Good Things in 2017.
I wrote any type of positive thing that happened to me in this list.
Most of my accomplishments were small like speaking to my mom's small women's group on "How to be Resourceful & Exercise At Home When You're Over the Age of 50."
Other things I listed were huge—like selling out 400 Deneen Pottery UFO Cat mugs in under 25 minutes.
Looking back on this list of accomplishments snapped me out of my funk.
Hoarding my victories showed me that I did a lot of cool shit that year I should be proud of. It also reminded me I'm running my own race at my own pace like as mentioned back in episode 132.
I've since revisited and marked wins from 2016 to and kept this hoarding momentum going in 2018 and 2019.
Be a Wannabe Champagne Papi
To summarize this series, life is short. Be ambitious, never settle, and squeeze as much juice out of your limited existence as you can.
At the same time, don't be afraid to be a wannabe Champagne Papi and pop a bottle or two in between climbing those mountains.
Celebrate and hoard those W's. A win's a win and deserves to be acknowledged.
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The Blessing & Curse of the Mountain Climbing "What's Next" Mentality
Back in episode 56, my brother Tony Diaz of Industry Print Shop shared his inspiring story of how he went from being a punk rocker in a band on the Warped Tour to starting one of the most successful print shops in the U.S.
He talked about his mentality of "climbing mountains." Whenever he accomplished his main mission, he immediately set his sights on an even bigger target.
Ya, it was cool that he accomplished something like being on the Warped Tour, but what's next?
You know the phrase, "There are two sides to every coin?" To me, to be able to climb mountains and relentlessly pursue the next big accomplishment is no doubt a blessing. At the same time, it's a curse.
The Blessing
The mountain-climbing business is a blessing as it enables you to:
Not gonna lie, I naturally gravitate towards people who operate in this fashion and love to observe them.
I've learned that these mountain climbers never settle—they're hungry, focused, inspired, and always pursuing the next peak to tame.
They see the world through a different lens.
Their pupils are glued straight ahead and upward. There's no time to break their gaze by looking down or behind them.
Like a kid driven to dig out the prize buried in the bottom of a 90's cereal box, nothing will distract them from getting that prize.
Does this sound like you or anyone you know?
How to Know if You're a Mountain Climber Checklist
You're a mountain climber if you:
Doesn't this sound like a fucking glorious modern-day creative Chuck Norris lifestyle?
How could this mindset be any other than a blessing?
If you haven't guessed it by now, I'm a mountain climber.
Trust me when I say this roundhouse kick approach to your creative grind comes with a cost.
The Curse
Seduced by "Success" & Blinded by Comparison
I transformed into a mountain climber when I got a little taste of what I thought was "success" back around 2013/2014.
I became tunnel-visioned and borderline-obsessed with my side hustle when:
While cool shit was happening in my life, the comparison trap made it impossible to appreciate any progress I made during my climb.
I was convinced that I had gotten such a late start to the game compared to my creative peers and idols.
This eliminated my need to live in the moment and soak up wins, whether big or small.
What was the point when someone else had more followers, bigger clients, or bigger keynotes on bigger stages?
I couldn't appreciate what I had or was doing because I needed more—I was too focused on "what's next."
I thought being obsessive about climbing bigger and better mountains was the key to surpassing all these people.
The "Hustle Culture" Syndrome
Another downside to this "what's next" mentality is becoming jaded by the "Hustle Culture." You begin to believe that you have burn the candle at both ends to advance.
To ascend and dominate the next mountain, you sign your permission slip to lose sleep by working early and grinding hard late into the night.
You tell yourself it's okay to eat shitty for convenience, skip the gym, and blow off people (even loved ones) because you begin to think these things are distractions.
Next thing you know: you're burnt out, feeling like shit, have zero energy, and have no support.
Working Smarter + Self-Awareness = Smart Hustle
By all means, work your ass off. Don't let anyone tell you can't climb a mountain, as I'm all about going against the grain and making shit happen for yourself.
However, I've learned this lesson the hard way. I've gone through burnout, ruined relationships, and hating the way I felt when looking in the mirror.
Five years into my side hustle, I'm still a constant work-in-progress.
My failures have taught me that there can be a beautiful balance of working hard and not working at all.
"Cool" vs. "Not Cool"
To find this beautiful balance, I think it's important to establish "cool" vs. "not cool" scenarios.
Hitting a big milestone is "cool", but's it's more "cool" to have people in your corner to celebrate with (more on that in part two of this series).
I understand that, once in a while, you may have to do an all-nighter to hit a deadline...but accepting this as the norm is "not cool."
What's "cool" is getting sleep, taking care of your mental, physical, and even spiritual being to have the energy to work smarter, not harder.
What's "not cool" is digging yourself an early grave because you work non-stop with no light at the end of the tunnel.
What's "cool" is learning how to take breaks, delegating the non-essential, disconnecting, and having hobbies that let you recharge and refuel your inspiration tank.
If you're a mountain climber like me, these "cool" areas tend to be our biggest struggles.
This is why I've been implementing a week off from the podcast every seven weeks, so I can inject reoccurring lights at the end of the tunnel.
I'm still early into this, but it's already helped immensely. I'm not feeling as overwhelmed, and I give myself a well-deserved day off.
Be Cooler Than Chuck Norris
Yes, Chuck Norris is cool. He has his own genre of jokes, and even though the dude is almost 80, he can still kick almost anyone's ass.
However, what's cooler than being a modern-day creative Chuck Norris is kicking ass on your creative grind while still being able to see the bigger picture: the importance of health and relationships.
What I'm really trying to say is, when you're climbing mountains, don't forget to look down and live in the in-between moments.
Don't let life pass you by because you're too focused on "what's next." You can have your cake and eat it too with some "Smart Hustle."
Stick with me as Part 2 is all about popping bottles and learning how to celebrate all W's, big and small.
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Lauren Dickens on Blazing Your Own Successful Path & Fighting Burnout
Two things we all deal with as we relentlessly pursue "success" in our creative grinds? The comparison trap and burnout.
Often, one fuels the other and vice versa. You compare your work and consistency to those who seem to be doing more, and it's all-too-easy to burn yourself out.
Or you get burnt out because you're not living the curated life people seem to be living on your phone.
Those are just a few examples, but I'm sure you could think of 50 more scenarios off the top of your dome in less than a minute.
That's because we all struggle with these dilemmas. I personally feel it's because many of us, including myself, haven't defined success for ourselves. We're wrapped up in what success is for others.
Today's guest, ever since she was a curious young girl trying to figure out her place in the world, has been blazing her own path and defining what success means for her.
I'm talking about my talented friend Lauren Dickens. She is the All-Star of Type, the MVP of Branding, and the reigning Player of the Year when it comes to Illustrations.
She slays work from her home court of Austin, Texas, for some of the biggest brands in the world like Facebook, Target, and SXSW (to name a few).
Today "El Dick" and I go deep on:
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Pretty Useful Co. on Taking Action & Protecting Your Time
I've learned that people trying to work a side hustle struggle with two things: getting started and valuing their time.
Getting started can be paralyzing. If you don't have a plan, strategy, or ability to show up regardless of what people will think, it’s practically impossible to take action.
When you don't value your time, it's hard to know when to say no, when to charge more, or when to create boundaries.
I personally believe you won't succeed in transforming your hobbies into a monetized side hustle or business without cultivating these two skills.
Cultivating those two skills will no doubt help you fail faster, overcome adversity, and maximize your progress.
Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Allie and Clare of Pretty Useful Co. crush these two areas in their personal lives and side hustles. They make clever goods for fun people that are...pretty useful (like their notorious pin keeper).
They've turned a passion project into a monetized side-business, and I feel their experience and knowledge will definitely help you figure out your next step in your creative grind—whether you pursue merch or not.
Today, Pretty Useful Co. and I talk about:
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Grits on Side Hustling, Finding Your Niche, & Staying in Your Lane
Have you ever had someone in passing conversation ask you, "Are ya workin' hard or hardly workin'?"
I used to get this from some of the older folks who would come through my cash register when I worked for a Midwest Grocery Chain called Hy-Vee.
Of course, my answer was always, "Hardly workin'."
When I think about this phrase now, I feel most people I come across are hardly workin'. They're the same ones complaining that nothing good is poppin' off in their lives when, in reality, they're coasting and seeking shortcuts.
At the end of the day, hard work pays off—and there aren't too many people working harder than today's guests.
I'm talking about Reuben and Toya Levi who tag team Grits. It's more than just dope merch flexin' Reuben's design and handy craft: it's a Southern Lifestyle Black Americana brand out of Houston, Texas, that has gained national attention with no signs of slowing down.
Grits started off as a passion project but has transformed into something bigger that educates, inspires, and, of course, decks us out in some of the the finest threads in the game.
Today, Reuben and Toya share:
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Run Your Own Race & Avoid the Comparison Trap
“Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” – Jon Acuff from his book Start.
I often allowed comparison to paralyze me from becoming the person I’m supposed to become. Much of that comparison stems from the social world of the internet.
I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I feel fortunate enough to know how life worked before it, as well as experience the rise of it.
In high school, I was on the early days of MySpace and felt the dopamine rush that notifications give you.
When I graduated in 2006, I joined the new wave of Facebook. You actually needed a college email to get access, long before your parents and grandparents were on that shit.
In 2013, I joined Instagram. In 2o14, I shifted to using it as a business portfolio. That’s when my life as a creative drastically changed, as I started to take my craft and message more seriously.
The Beautiful Toxicity of Social Media
Social media is a huge blessing in my life. It gives me confidence in myself and my work after spending the majority of life with none.
It has helped me find my creative community. This community lets me cultivate incredible relationships with like-minded nerds and freaks that geek out over the weird shit I do.
It’s given me a platform to spread good vibes, cast a spotlight on others, and speak up for things I believe in.
At the same time, though, social media has become a trap—not to mention a time suck when we don’t intentionally use it as a tool.
Social media truly is a beautiful thing. At the same time, it can be toxic as fuck.
It trains us to compare our lives and our work to our peers or to the legends we idolize.
We operate from a mindset of lack and have become the it’s never enough culture.
We constantly seek what someone else has and easily lose sight of what’s important—what we already have.
Who cares if we have 500 followers when Sally Jane has 5,000?
Sally Jane feels shitty because Billy Bob has 50k.
Billy Bob is bumming hard because Gertrude Baggins has 500k.
We’re forever running in a hamster wheel trying to play “catch up” when, in reality, we’re running our own race.
Marathon > Sprint
You’ve probably heard this a hundred times, but the race we’re running isn’t a sprint—it’s a lifelong marathon. It’s not a microwavable 100-meter sprint, it’s a slow, day-by-day grind that requires lots of practice, patience, and persistence.
You have your own starting point, no matter your age and experience.
You run at your own pace. Sometimes times you need to push the pedal through the floor and bust your ass. Other times, you have to pump your breaks and deal with the ebb and flow of life.
Your destination is different as your finish line is unique to you. There’s no GPS that’s going to give you step-by-step directions.
Your race is your own, so run your own race.
Stop Robbing Yourself
Teddy Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the greatest thief of joy.” We are constantly sticking ourselves up with the gunpoint of comparison.
Don’t let the cool shit others do rob you from making the cool shit you’re supposed to be creating.
Don’t let the incredible things people within and outside your circle are doing rob you from becoming incredible too.
Erase the comparison you’ll face in your dream that you chase. If that’s the case, you gotta embrace that you’re running your own race at your own pace to a different destination or place.
P.S. I hate running.
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