Passion and the Gig Economy Lifestyle

For most Americans, passion is something that is missing from their day-to-day job. Many people feel uninspired and, frankly, drained by their daily jobs. In fact, a study from last year suggests 48 percent of workers don’t even like their jobs.

Because of this, many people are making money or supplementing their income by doing jobs that they love. In fact, this trend is what has fueled the Gig Economy.

We’ve been talking about our recent Tweetchat with Wise Bread about the Gig Economy, and our focus has mostly been on the financial benefits, particularly in terms of saving money for retirement or a child’s college fund. But there are definitely benefits when it comes to that more immeasurable payoff: happiness.

The Gig Economy is founded on the idea that you should turn your particular talents or passions into a source of income. When it comes to work and talents, many people automatically think of the most standard talents that a large company would find appealing: proficiency in computers, experience managing a team, a knack for a certain kind of complicated software.

But with the Gig Economy Lifestyle, you’re your own boss, meaning you define your business offering and decide what you do on a daily basis. Because of this, you should think outside of the box and tap into talents that maybe you’ve never tried to monetize.

@wisebread Q5 I am very artistic so something along those lines. #WBChat #FiverrChat

— ~~~Stephanie~~~ (@StephanieMcGloh) January 22, 2015

Don’t forget that creativity can beyond the ability to do killer graphic design. If you’re an actor, you might easily find voice over work or work helping business create video content. Have a great speaking voice? Businesses regularly come to Fiverr and other gig-oriented sites to find people who can do narrations.

Also, don’t be afraid to diversify.

@wisebread A5: Writing and sales skills #WBChat #FiverrChat

— Veronica Vasquez (@ChaoticKarma23) January 22, 2015

If you have two talents, why not follow them both? One may be somewhat tied to your current or a past full-time job, while the other may shine the spotlight on the creative work that you’ve always dreamed of doing.

In the end, the Gig Economy Lifestyle is finding a source of income that makes you happy. This happiness might come in the form of artistic self-expression, or simply the joy of making some extra money while working on a laptop in your kitchen. All that matters is that you’re taking something you’re good at and enjoy doing and turning it into a job.