Do I need a side hustle?

I am constantly trying to find the side hustle that I will love, be consistent with, and that will maybe one day bring me that coveted extra income. I also think it’s natural for people to want to have projects outside of work that bring them joy and fulfillment.

But what if I don’t need that?

What if I feel like my life is already fulfilling, I love my job and my family, and I enjoy having a slower pace in life?

That’s where I currently find myself. Here’s what’s going on in my life:

I find my job incredibly fulfilling.

I’ve always enjoyed working with computers, and I’ve been a developer for a long time. There were times in my career when I wanted to quit being a developer and try something else, but honestly I could never think of something that I liked better that was also realistic as a career option. The thing is, it’s not that I didn’t like developing. I just happen to suffer from a severe case of the Impostor Syndrome, which has made me super insecure my entire life, and led me to believe that if I worked with some sort of manual labor that didn’t require a lot of brain power and creativity, then no one wouldn’t find out that I wasn’t smart enough. Being in the tech industry, where you have to always be learning and up to date with the newest technologies, is terrifying when you think you’re not smart enough.

And, to be fair, I don’t think I’m dumb. I’m just afraid of the thing I don’t know yet.

I currently work in a company where my boss knows my limitations (yes, of course they exist) and is incredibly supportive of me taking time out of my day to learn. He doesn’t even try to tell me what to focus on. We understand that the things I’m interested in will be useful in future (or current!) projects. He gives me projects that are outside of my comfort zone so I can have the learning opportunity, even though we know I’ll take longer to complete the project than a more experienced developer would – he believes it’s worth the investment. Let me tell you, he’s helped me expand my horizons quite a bit.

The latest project that I’m working on has been amazing. For the first time I presented a design to my boss (I’m not a designer 😮), and he believed it was good enough to have me present it to the customer – along with his own designs. The customer went with mine. Also, this project involves some unique functionalities that make it somewhat more complicated to implement, and I’ve been loving learning in the process. And on top of that, one of the languages I’m using to build this website is somewhat new to me, and I’m loving learning it. The customers themselves are great to work with, they are smart, funny, competent, and responsive. You don’t find that everyday.

I admit that not every project I work on is like that, but honestly the bulk of my work really is something I enjoy doing.

I am very happily married

I guess a lot of people say that, but I actually mean it. I was once having a conversation with a friend and she was surprised to hear that I was happy in my marriage – not that there’s anything wrong with my husband, it’s just that it’s something hard to find nowadays. People are just… unhappy and settled.

I enjoy my husband’s company. We support each other. We like having meaningful conversations. We try to help each other. We make each other laugh. Yes, don’t always see eye to eye, but we’ve learned a lot and our relationship has grown stronger over time. I’m still happy with the decision I made.

I kinda like being bored

While the “hustle” is a strong part of the american culture, I guess I don’t have that gene. Maybe because I’m not american. 😉 But I don’t feel the need to use the short amount of time I have left on my day on something that I don’t think will enrich my life, just to occupy my time. I like to spend a couple of hours reading a book. I like not having every hour of my day planned. I don’t need to have “weekend plans”.

Yes, I get bored. But that’s fine. It’s ok, it’s part of life, and I think it’s good for my brain. Especially since nowadays there are so many things fighting for your attention, it’s good to have a breather. Also, allowing your brain to just relax is good for creativity.

“Bored time” is when I’ll have the insight (or the motivation, if you will) to do the thing that I don’t feel like – like cleaning the kitchen or rearranging my office furniture, or that thing that I’ve been meaning to do but never get to. Maybe I’ll start writing a blog post (like this one). Maybe I’ll take a long shower and put on my jammies, and hang out on the couch with the hubby while we watch the latest sci-fi show. Maybe I’ll go for a walk.

I know not everyone is like me. Some people are not satisfied with their life, job, partner, or who knows what else, and some people just have the drive to keep searching for more.

My husband is kind of like that in a way – he has the entrepreneur gene.
I, on the other hand, have the worker bee gene.
I guess that’s balance. 😜

So, no. I don’t think I need a side hustle. I am quite content as it is, but still sometimes I need to remind myself of that. The cultural pressure is real.

So I guess this is today’s reminder to myself that my life is good. I’m happy as it is, and the only thing I have to do about it is enjoy it.