1448: Not Loving Your Day Job? The 3 Keys to Side Hustle Satisfaction by Nick Loper on Entrepreneurship

[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_00]: The 3 Keys To Side Hustle Satisfaction by Nick Loper of SideHustleNation.com.

[00:00:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Even though they say money can't buy happiness, we all want to earn more, right?

[00:00:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Money is a huge motivator at work and at home, but it might surprise you that according

[00:00:46] [SPEAKER_00]: to author and speaker Dan Pink in his best-selling book Drive, compensation isn't the only

[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_00]: or even the main key to worker happiness.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Instead, the trifecta of autonomy, mastery and purpose forms the base of a fulfilling

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_00]: career no matter your field.

[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_00]: These 3 factors are internal rather than external motivators and promise deeper and longer

[00:01:09] [SPEAKER_00]: lasting satisfaction than monetary incentives can.

[00:01:12] [SPEAKER_00]: The acronym that I use to remember them is AMP because when you've got all three, you're

[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_00]: probably feeling pretty amped.

[00:01:19] [SPEAKER_00]: And the best part is, when you get amped, you naturally get happy.

[00:01:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go!

[00:01:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Autonomy According to Drive, autonomy is the desire to direct our own lives.

[00:01:31] [SPEAKER_00]: From infancy, humans are imbued with a sense of individualism and a desire to explore

[00:01:36] [SPEAKER_00]: the world around them.

[00:01:37] [SPEAKER_00]: This intrinsic sense of control over oneself and one's actions extends to the working

[00:01:41] [SPEAKER_00]: world.

[00:01:42] [SPEAKER_00]: People want the ability to make their own decisions and have the freedom to direct their

[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_00]: own work and learning.

[00:01:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Autonomy can be reflected by businesses that allow their workers to set their own schedules,

[00:01:52] [SPEAKER_00]: free from micromanagement and rigid structure.

[00:01:56] [SPEAKER_00]: In my work at Ford, I enjoyed a certain level of autonomy, perhaps more than most other

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER_00]: entry-level positions.

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_00]: I had a company car and could decide my own schedule and arrange my own travel.

[00:02:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Naturally, I still had to work to achieve the goals of the division and the company,

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_00]: but I had a fair amount of freedom in how I got that done.

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Of course I loved to be able to decide what to work on every day when I wake up now,

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_00]: but it's the biggest catch-22 of self-employment.

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_00]: You can steer your own ship and it's awesome, but there's also no one else to tell you

[00:02:26] [SPEAKER_00]: where or how to steer and it can be a challenge.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_00]: One reason why a mastermind can be so valuable.

[00:02:32] [SPEAKER_00]: How can Autonomy work inside a bigger corporation?

[00:02:35] [SPEAKER_00]: How about this example from a recent flight I took on Southwest?

[00:02:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Our flight attendant clearly loves his job.

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_00]: He was cracking jokes the entire time and even though he was legally required to go over

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_00]: the safety requirements of the plane, he had the autonomy to do it his way.

[00:02:51] Mastery.

[00:02:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Pink states in Drive that mastery is the urge to get better and better at something

[00:02:57] [SPEAKER_00]: that matters.

[00:02:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Note that both parts are equally important, the drive for improvement and doing something

[00:03:03] [SPEAKER_00]: that matters.

[00:03:04] [SPEAKER_00]: It might be easy to master some menial task, but you may not feel mastery if you don't

[00:03:09] [SPEAKER_00]: feel you're adding some unique skill to it.

[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_00]: I struggled with this at Ford.

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_00]: I was passable at my job, but it wasn't amazing.

[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_00]: One thing that was cool about it was that no two days were alike and I was constantly

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_00]: learning, meeting new people and getting better.

[00:03:23] [SPEAKER_00]: But something was still missing.

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_00]: I certainly wanted to be awesome at work because why would I want anything less?

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_00]: But while my peers were already masters or building mastery quickly, I remained relatively

[00:03:34] [SPEAKER_00]: stagnant.

[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_00]: It was frustrating and it was probably compounded by the fact that I didn't have any ownership

[00:03:39] [SPEAKER_00]: over what tasks I was supposed to achieve.

[00:03:42] [SPEAKER_00]: It was stuff like, last year, the dealers in your zone sold batteries to 2% of the cars

[00:03:46] [SPEAKER_00]: they serviced.

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: We think it should be 5%.

[00:03:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Seems a little arbitrary, right?

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_00]: At least now when I'm chasing down my own goals, I get to pick the numbers.

[00:03:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Employers can best incorporate a sense of mastery by encouraging learning, growth and tackling

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_00]: new challenges and responsibilities.

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_00]: But if that's not going to happen at the 9-5, I propose finding a side hustle that let

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_00]: you pursue mastery on your own terms.

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Blogging is a great example for me.

[00:04:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Each week, I get to try and improve my writing and share some hopefully useful and interesting

[00:04:17] [SPEAKER_00]: stuff with you.

[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Getting better at something that matters.

[00:04:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Check and check.

[00:04:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Purpose.

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Purpose, as defined by pink, is the yearning to do what we do in the service of something

[00:04:28] [SPEAKER_00]: larger than ourselves.

[00:04:30] [SPEAKER_00]: This is the strongest of all intrinsic motivators.

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_00]: As a deep conviction, we'll drive workers to go above and beyond when we're filling

[00:04:37] [SPEAKER_00]: their tasks and is the key to lasting satisfaction with one's work.

[00:04:42] [SPEAKER_00]: And this is also where the wheels fell off of my job at Ford, pun intended.

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_00]: No matter how much corporate coolade I drank, I had a hard time convincing myself of the

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER_00]: greater purpose of my role.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And I don't mean that in the selling cars to people who don't need them sort of way,

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_00]: business is business.

[00:04:58] [SPEAKER_00]: I have no problem with that.

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_00]: But I mean it more in the sense like if I don't show up today, will it make any meaningful

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_00]: impact to the bottom line of any of my customers or even the company?

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Not even a blip on the radar.

[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_00]: To me, that was Purpose.

[00:05:11] [SPEAKER_00]: I wanted to see the direct impact of my efforts on the bottom line and my paycheck, and

[00:05:16] [SPEAKER_00]: it wasn't happening.

[00:05:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Thankfully I found a side hustle that scratched that edge and I'm confident you can too.

[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Purpose doesn't have to be about saving the wheels or feeding the hungry, though it certainly

[00:05:26] [SPEAKER_00]: can be.

[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Purpose can simply be about helping people, and a side hustle is a perfect way to do that.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Your turn.

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Take a look at your day job.

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_00]: Do you have autonomy, mastery and purpose?

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Are you amped?

[00:05:39] [SPEAKER_00]: If your nine to five isn't doing it for you, consider these factors and find a side hustle

[00:05:44] [SPEAKER_00]: that will.

[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_00]: You'll be more satisfied with life and excited to get up each day.

[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_00]: You just listen to the post titled, Not Loving Your Day Job The Three Keys To Side

[00:05:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Hustle Satisfaction By Nick Loper of sidehustlnation.com

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER_00]: This show is sponsored by Better Help.

[00:06:03] [SPEAKER_00]: We're all marveled at how quickly kids learn and that sense of wonderment they have

[00:06:08] [SPEAKER_00]: well doing it.

[00:06:09] [SPEAKER_00]: But as adults, sometimes we lose that curiosity.

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Well, if there's something you've been wanting to learn, know that therapy can help

[00:06:16] [SPEAKER_00]: you reconnect with your sense of wonder because your back to school era can come at any

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_00]: age.

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_00]: And make no mistake, therapy is for everyone.

[00:06:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Whether or not you've been through significant trauma, therapy can be a great tool for

[00:06:29] [SPEAKER_00]: setting boundaries, learning new skills and ultimately becoming the best version of yourself.

[00:06:34] [SPEAKER_00]: If you're thinking of starting therapy, give Better Help a try.

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_00]: It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible and suited to your schedule.

[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and switch therapists

[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_00]: anytime for no additional charge.

[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Read Discover Your Curiosity with Better Help.

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Visit betterhelp.com slash work daily today to get 10% off your first month.

[00:06:57] [SPEAKER_00]: That's Better Help.

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_00]: HELP.com slash work daily.

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Our producer Justin, who's also the hosted optimal living daily, has talked about how he usually

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_00]: jumps around from idea to idea.

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_00]: But podcasting these last few years has met all of these requirements, autonomy, mastery

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_00]: and purpose.

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_00]: So it's finally something that he's stuck with.

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Granted, it's not easy, but it's more fulfilling than those other projects.

[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Alright, I'm going to leave it at that for today.

[00:07:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Hope you have a great rest of your day.

[00:07:26] [SPEAKER_00]: And I'll see you right back here tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.