This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
What's up, friends? So glad you're out there. Hey, listen, wherever you are in the world, whatever you are up to, if I could say just one thing to you, maybe you've been listening for 1200 plus episodes, maybe you just stumbled upon this yesterday. Well, if you did, it's called "Side Hustle School." My name is Chris Guillebeau. But wherever you are in that process, if I could say just one thing to you, it would be that there is something out there that you can make or create or achieve or become.
This is all about creating opportunity for yourself, finding financial security, being able to do more of what's important to you. And you can do that whatever your situation is, no matter what your day job is, if you're unemployed, if you're underemployed, I'm just trying to share stories day after day of people who are finding creative ways to do that. And one of the things I believe is that so much of our lives these days, but not just these days, like in all the days, so many things about our life are limited and constrained. Yet we also have the chance to rise above. And so my hope with "Side Hustle School" is to show you these examples and stories about real people, how they have done that to create that financial security.
And of course, money isn't everything. That's not what it's ultimately about. It's about freedom. It's about freedom. It's about being out of the burden of debt.
It's about being able to decide for yourself what is most meaningful to me in my life and spend more time on that. Now, you can also apply this thinking in lots of different ways. So it's not only about starting an income generating project. We just focus on that here with the podcast. So I talk a lot about the power of observation, about how you can develop your skill of curiosity to notice opportunities and possibilities.
That power can take you far, but it also needs to be connected to the willingness to act. And sometimes we are the ones standing in our own way. So what is this thing called imposter syndrome? Well, today's caller is wondering about it. She has no shortage of ideas, but feels held back by her own beliefs.
This is a common problem. It's one of the most common questions I get in different forms. So what's the solution or what is my response to her? Maybe I already gave you part of it just now, but I will give you a bit more. Let's dive in.
Here's a shout out to our sponsor and then a bit more detail about overcoming imposter syndrome. [Music]
Hello, Chris. This is Carol from Denver. And I've been listening to the show from episode one. Can you say more about imposter syndrome?
I know you've mentioned this before, but I honestly think it's the number one thing holding me back. Whenever I think about starting my side hustle, about urban farming, raising chickens, using community gardens, et cetera, I always think, well, who am I to do this? And why would people want to pay me for information they can get elsewhere? Or why would they even consume my videos or read my posts for free? I know if I could get over this, I'd be really excited to start sharing.
Is there any practical advice besides just start? Can't wait to hear from you. - Hey, Carol, thank you so much for listening. Thank you for listening all the way from the beginning. That is incredible.
And you are incredible too. You are good enough. I want to just say, just start. But fortunately you added that qualification at the end. Is there any practical advice besides just start?
Well, I do think you should just start. You've got something to share with people about urban farming, raising chickens, et cetera. But just to go a bit more detail, I know that people are motivated in different ways. And I realized that. So in the beginning I talked about how important it is to create options for yourself and to build financial security, to be free of the burden of debt and so on.
For a lot of people, that is very motivational. But I would say if it's not enough of a motivation to think about your own needs and why you want to do this, you might want to think about how you could be helpful to those who are interested in urban farming or for our listeners, whatever topic you're into, okay? Because these folks are struggling. They don't know how to raise their chickens, whatever problem it is they have. And you have the answers.
You have the answers, right? You have something that could be helpful to them. So why would you not want to share it with them? Now, as for information they can get for free, like that doesn't need to be an obstacle at all, I don't think. I think we've talked about that in some other episodes, some other question answers, you know, there's all kinds of information that is for free and it's also for sale.
And we all pay for different services and entertainment. So it sounds like the much bigger issue here is this part about holding oneself back. And I know it's common. I just encourage you, like the real imposter is the one that holds you back. That is the imposter.
The authentic you is the one that wants to move forward. So I think also the clue is in, you know, this last thing that Carol said, if she could just get over it, she'd be really excited to start sharing. Okay, so if you're out there and you're like, if I could just get over this one thing, I'd be so excited to be able to do something. Well, let's find a way to get over that one thing so that you can get to that part about being excited. And I've been there myself.
I have often like been discouraged about stuff where I've encountered setbacks and obstacles and all those things. But I can tell you with confidence, you know, from somebody who has not always been confident that the experience produces confidence. The experience of moving forward gives you more confidence to keep moving forward. And regardless of what the outcome is, you will feel better on the other side of this. So I hope that is helpful to Carol or perhaps to somebody else out there.
All right, there is something you can do. There is something you can do. And the rest of us are just waiting. You know, we're waiting for you to move forward. So I hope you do that.
Let me know how it goes. If you've got a question of your own, come to sidehustleschool.com/questions. We'll be featuring them throughout the year, talking things through along with updates from other listeners as they launch their projects. Thank you so much. More is on the way.
Be sure you're subscribed to wherever you listen to podcasts. My name is Chris Guillebeau. The program is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
