My Parents Taught Me About the Gig Economy and Didn't Even Know It!

Growing up, I can't remember a time when both of my parents weren't working at least two jobs each, and sometimes more. My dad was a mechanic and owned a garage in our home town and worked full time for the Ohio National Guard while my mom was a full time bus driver and sold Home Interiors. My parents were unwitting entrepreneurs, often running multiple businesses at once. There is no doubt they taught me the value of working hard in less traditional ways. They both had full time jobs, but they also had other streams of income coming into our home. Neither went to college and it didn’t matter. They were smart (and still are), hard-working people who never hesitated to do what they needed to do to provide a great life for our family. Long before it had a name, my parents were participating in the gig economy. If you’re not sure what the gig economy is, you’re not alone. It’s been a buzz word the last couple of year’s used to describe a growing segment of the workforce. According to WhatIs.com, the Gig Economy is defined as “an environment in which temporary positions are common and organizations contract with independent workers for short-term engagements”. I would expand this definition to include those like my parents who conduct business as a side activity. Research indicates that Millennials are more likely to participate in the gig economy, with many holding full time jobs and choosing to either have a part time job or choosing to do short term projects for organizations. According to USnews.com, nearly 3 in 10 American workers earn some form of income through independent work and gig opportunities. For some, it is about having the extra money they need to survive thanks to heavy debt. For others, it is about doing something they are passionate about. With Millennials buying into this type of dual career, America’s largest generation may be ready to start a career revolution and employers should pay attention. The idea of a traditional 9 to 5 job may be on its way out. As technology has changed and improved, we may need to revisit our concepts of work. If you’re an employer, you’ll want to read next month’s blog post where I’ll be giving ideas for how you can capitalize on the gig economy and engage your employees in new ways. For those participating in the gig economy, there are some major benefits. Among them are flexibility, the opportunity to complete projects that you love doing, the chance to pursue your passion, and extra money just to name a few. There are some negatives though. If it is your only source of income, it can be unpredictable and you’ll need to make sure you have enough projects to help you pay your bills. If you hold a “day job”, having a side gig can take away a lot of your free time, often leaving you exhausted trying to keep up with everything. Finally, you are in essence a business owner when you join the gig economy and you may need to learn how to become an accountant to manage your earnings and expenses, a marketing and sales professional to promote yourself to clients and pick up jobs, an administrative assistant to organize everything, and a Human Resources manager if you grow too big to manage the projects alone. Yes it’s a lot of work!! For those willing to put in the effort though, it can be totally worth it. Thanks to my parent’s example, I have been a member of the gig economy since college. What started as a hobby while in school became a way of life for me. For more than 20 years (wow does that make me feel old!), I have had a full time job while pursuing a music career on the side. I know a lot of musicians just like me. We have day jobs and we play in the evenings and on the weekends. Like those that I know, it’s been about pursuing a passion for music but I realized very quickly that music was never going to be what paid my bills. For those of you who make a living at it, my hats off to you. It’s not easy. For me, music definitely went from hobby to business early on. For the majority of my adult life, I have managed my music projects just like a business. We promote like a business, pay taxes on our income, interact with clients professionally, and try to provide great customer service to the venues who hire us and the fans who come to support us. Thanks to my music projects, I learned how to run a business. I now know how build websites, create marketing campaigns, sell my “product”, develop social media strategies, manage a business and people, and so much more. My side gig has given me a number of skills that I did not develop at my full time job. I can even credit music with my decision to go back to school and get my MBA. Now here’s where the story starts to get really interesting. My undergrad was a Bachelor of Social Work. I’m now a Marketing Manager. Curious how I got from point A to point B? Well, music allowed me to showcase my skills and develop a portfolio of projects I could show my employer to prove my abilities. There was a really unexpected outcome to doing music on the side. I learned that I had a passion not just for music, but also for the business and marketing side of it. That gave me an opportunity to shift my career completely. I started picking up projects for other people, creating websites for them, working on their marketing and promotions and more. That caused me to start a promotions company to have a more formal approach to picking up these projects. So now if you’re keeping score, I have a full time job, I play in 2 bands (Sugar Shot and Finding Friday); I pick up projects for clients through my promotions company (Foggy Creek Promotions); I speak and provide training through my other company (J.E.N. 3.0); and I’m working on writing a book (Walking with Eli). Yes, I’m busy, and at times too busy, but I love my life. I love music, I love marketing, and I love helping people so I have a really fun life. The gig economy has been good to me. So how can you join the gig economy? Well, think about what you like doing. Do you have a skill, passion, or experience that you think others might benefit from? Try starting small. Maybe look for non-profits that need a little extra help and offer your services. I recently joined a start-up non-profit board (Lisa’s Legacy) and helped them get their website up and running. When I first started picking up projects, I realized there was no shortage of organizations that needed my services. After a few of them, I had started building my portfolio and soon was able to pick up clients I could charge. Don’t be afraid to use your own network as well. I’m betting most of you have social media, so put a call out and ask people if they need help with what you enjoy doing. You might be surprised about the response. I’ll continue to share my tips in next month’s blog (for employers and those interested in joining the gig economy). Well, that’s it. I ended up a member of the gig economy thanks to my parents who were doing it before it was cool!

Better Tomorrow

Here we are, less than a week before the new year. 2017 is on its way and so are all the resolutions we make for ourselves; working out, eating better, feeling better, career goals, relationship goals, on and on the resolution list goes. We make all these goals at the beginning of the year and then watch them slowly dwindle as the weeks go by. Life gets in the way and we come up with all sorts of excuses about why we couldn't keep them. The feeling of failure sets in and we think to ourselves, "well, there's always next year". What if there was a better way to approach your new years resolutions. What if you could just simplify what you wanted for yourself by deciding to be better tomorrow than you were today? It takes your resolutions from long-term vision to a simple "one day at a time" approach. It doesn't matter what the activity is, the end goal is about making yourself better each day. "Better" is measured by you and it doesn't have to be over complicated. For me personally, once I started using this technique, I stopped looking at those resolutions as failures and started looking at them as exactly what they were. One day, then the next day, and the next. Each day becomes a new opportunity to be better tomorrow, than I was today. It's about moving forward instead of looking backward. So, how can you successfully maintain your "Better Tomorrow" approach? First, think of one thing each day that you can do that will make you a better version of yourself tomorrow. Here are 10 of my favorites: 1 - Read an article that gives you a new insight or some new knowledge about a subject 2 - Prepare a healthy meal to take with you for lunch tomorrow 3 - Walk for 20 minutes at lunch time around your building (or in your building if it is large enough) 4 - Take 10 minutes to meditate. There are some wonderful apps the can help you quiet your mind and focus your attention (I like Headspace) 5 - Take 30 minutes (or more) to sit with your family after dinner and simply be present in a conversation with them 6 - Find and post a positive thought each day to center yourself (and help others in their own journey) 7 - Take 10 minutes to write down your thoughts for the day and plan for tomorrow 8 - Pick one new skill a week that you would like to learn and practice it for 10 minutes each day 9 - Watch a 10-20 minute video everyday teaching you something new (here is a great list of places to go http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/40-amazing-places-to-learn-something-new-every-day.html) 10 - Do one thing a day for someone else. It's amazing how the simple act of doing for others improves us. Notice that not a single thing on this list takes more than 30 minutes. Of course you can take more time as you have it, but the idea is to remove the normal barrier of "I just don't have the time". It doesn't take hours a day to make yourself better. It is literally little steps each day that drive you forward into being better tomorrow than you were today. Hopefully, by this time next year, as you look back at 2017, you may find that you are happier, healthier, and more positive about who you are and the life you have.

Are you ready for the Evolution?

How often do we talk about wanting a revolution?  We want everything around us to be different.  We want to affect change.  We sometimes think that if things were different around us, that would somehow make our lives better.  Maybe that's true on some level but, really it's just another excuse we make for why we don't have the life we think we should have.  So here it is...I think we need an evolution not a revolution.  What needs to change isn't the world around us, it's us.

I've decided to start my own evolution which includes speaking more often about Eli and his lessons, and preparing myself to have the life I really want to have.  I think everything is possible if you make it a priority and work your tail off to get it.  So that's where I'm at.  I've started something I'm calling Jen 3.0 and I'll be encouraging others to join me on this journey.  It's an evolution of mind, body, and spirit.  So are you ready for your version 3.0?  Let's go on this evolution together!  Visit www.jenthreepointzero.com for more information about what I'm doing and how you can be involved. 

The evolution is on!

Listen to others with interest and purpose

It's the cutest thing ever.  If you say the word "secret", he'll lay his head on your shoulder and wait for you to whisper in his ear.  I love it.  There's just something really sweet about a giant dog laying their head on your shoulder.  

What I find most striking, is that he sits there incredibly still (which for him is in itself a major miracle.  He's never still even when he's sleeping).  He's waiting eagerly for you to speak into his ear.  It makes me feel so good!  Now, I'm not stupid.  I know he's waiting for one specific word when he puts his head down on my shoulder.  He's waiting for the word "play", but I think there is a great lesson in this that we could all learn from.  

How often do we listen to others with that type of intensity and purpose.  How much better would our relationships be if we did.  I'm not sure if you're anything like me, but I often catch myself fading off as I'm trying to focus to someone talking.  Maybe it's my ADHD personality but there are times when I truly find it difficult to focus my attention on what someone is saying.  How often do I really stop long enough to be interested in what someone is saying?  Seriously, if my large, dopey german shepherd can sit there quietly for a few moments to truly listen to what I'm saying, can't I calm my spirit enough to fully listen to someone with intent and purpose?

I encourage you to work on this lesson this week.  Try to focus not just on the words people are saying, but to the meaning and purpose behind them.  Being a great listener is an amazing skill and one that is often looked over in our day and age.  

This weeks favorite lesson, "Listen with interest and purpose"!

 

Do It No Matter What!

I know you have met those people that seem to keep pushing regardless of pain, obstacles, and heartbreak.  No matter what happens, they just keep on going.  I don't know about you, but that was certainly one of the lessons I learned as a young person.  Whether as an athlete, a musician, or just an average everyday person, there are always times that I have had to keep going even when I thought I was at my breaking point. 

That was this weeks lesson from Eli.  At some point last week, he pulled a muscle in his leg while we were playing.  I felt so bad as he limped around.  I checked him several times and there were no cuts, he just seemed to be tender while he walked, so I figured we would give it a few days before I took him to the vet, just to see if it would heal on its own.  The hardest thing about the week was keeping him from playing and hurting himself more.  It was not an easy task.  Once he gets in his head that he wants to do something, it's pretty difficult to ignore him.  He can be pretty relentless.

After a few days I finally gave in one night and thought I would throw the ball a few times to him just to passify him.   It was amazing to me that as we played, he lost his limp, and I could almost see a smile on his face (which always looks goofy by the way).  So there are two lessons in this.  The first is, sometimes you just have to push through the pain.  Now I am in no way saying that you should be stupid about this but really I think there are so many times that we make all kinds of excuses about why we don't do something.  We hurt too much, we aren't talented enough, someone else is better, I just can't do it.  Pick your internal excuse.  We all say them.  But Eli's simple desire to keep playing through the pain was a great lesson for me.  So often, I have those moments of self doubt that tell me that I can't do something.  I was plagued with them as a younger person.  But I am slowly learning that the greatest tragedy is to look back at life and realize that you never really got to where you wanted to be because you made too many excuses.  I don't want to live like that.

The second lesson that is equally important is about passion.  There is no doubt to me that Eli LOVES, and I mean LOVES to play.  I would most definitely call it his passion.  Although he was injured, he had such a strong desire to play that it didn't matter that he was hurting.  He was willing to do it no matter what. 

Do you have a passion that you have to do no matter what?  I have a few that are like that for me.  Music is the main one.  I think about it in the morning and I'm thinking about it when I go to bed.  I love writing and performing and connecting with people in a really special way through music.  My other passion is writing and speaking.  The whole idea for the book about Eli has been such a great time for me to work on.  I love it and I love talking about it to audiences.   

No matter what your passion is, find a way to do it.  I say all the time, your passion may not be the thing that makes you money and helps pay your bills, but it has to be part of your life. 

Two lessons, one dog!  The wisdom continues!

Love Unconditionally

One of my favorite things about Eli, and really most every other dog, is that they truly love unconditionally.  This is a trait that you can often see in dogs who have been abused.  Once they get past their fear, they are so eager to love someone.  It's so special and I have to imagine for the new owners, it means more than anything.

I never ever have to doubt that Eli loves me.  Coming home to him never fails to make me feel really good.  If you're an animal person, you likely know exactly what I'm talking about.  Cats do it too, they're just a little bit more picky about it at times. 

It's nearly impossible to be in a bad mood when there is someone or something that happy to see you.  I really love that about Eli.  It's how he makes me feel about myself.  He makes me feel good.  I think so often we have conditions on our love and maybe that's why the divorce rate is as high as it is.  "I love you, but I'm not 'in love with you' is a line many people have heard and many people have said.  But what if we loved unconditionally in much the same way animals do.  What if we were always excited to see someone?  What if they knew without a doubt that they were loved?  Would it really matter if we weren't 'in love' with someone but simply loved them?  Superficial love can come and go with the wind but those who love unconditionally, love without placing restrictions on their love. 

I really want to be like Eli when it comes to his ability to show love.  To show someone love unconditionally I think may very well be one of the greatest gifts we can give them.  I've thought long and often about what I would like to have written on my epitaph, and for me I want it to say that I loved well.  It would mean that I lived my life in such a way that others felt my love for them.  What an honor it would be to live a life like that.  I fail often, but like everything, I think you just have to keep trying. 

Love doesn't have to be perfect.  It just has to be true and pure and just like Eli, unconditional.

 

Sometimes you just have to do what others won't!

Normally, I like to share lessons I've learned from my dog Eli, but I thought this week I would share a lesson I learned from my mom when I was in 7th grade.  I'm not sure she remembers it, but it was such a significant lesson for me it is one that I think of often.

I may have been one of those strange kids, but I really liked my mom (Of course I loved her, but I think young people tend to dislike their parents for a period of time.  I didn't really go through that).  I actually really enjoyed when she was a chaperon for our class trips. 

My class was going to a place called COSI, which is a really cool science-like museum in Columbus, OH (I think).  I was in my moms group, which I loved, as was one of my classmates, a girl named Tina.  She had a skin disorder that caused her to grow access skin that flaked off, so her skin always appeared scaly.  Most people were afraid to touch her for fear of "catching" something.  You know how kids can be at that age and I'm sad to say people were not nice to her.  I wish I could say I was better then them but my unfortunate silence was probably actually worse.  For as much as I claimed to be  Christian, to this day it bothers me that I did not stand better on my beliefs.  So here's lesson number one, just because we are not cruel to someone, does not make us better then the people who are.  Sometimes choosing not to interact and befriend those who could maybe use a friend is a little worse because quite frankly, we should know better!

So any way, back to my story.  My mom, much like Eli, makes the world a better place because she's here.  That day at COSI, she showed me exactly how I should live my life and treat other people.  At some point in the day, I saw mom holding Tina's hand as we walked around.  She didn't treat her any different and didn't shy away from holding her hand, and I'm sure that many people might not have done that.  That one simple act did so much to teach me about respect!  Such an amazing lesson from such an amazing woman!!! 

You remember that golden rule right?  "Treat others the way you want to be treated".  I always tell people there is more to that rule.  "Treat others the way THEY want to be treated".  I think I'll take it one step further, "Treat others BETTER than they want to be treated". 

Thank you mom, for one of the best lessons of my life on how to treat others with love and respect.