The wisest thing I have ever done has nothing to do with social work. It involves deciding on the type of parent I wanted to be. I was in my late 30s and early 40s when my husband and I had our daughters. My vision was that they would grow to be genuine, confident, intelligent young ladies who would change the world around them wherever that might be.
When our daughters were very young, my husband and I made a commitment to “focus on our family.” This decision came on the heels of life changing events that profoundly affected us. At the same time, I declared my personal mission “to be the best Mommy I could be.” As a result of our choices, my husband and I have raised two remarkable, young ladies. They are each uniquely creating space for themselves in this world of 7.7 billion people. We have close relationships and we talk several times throughout the day. Our oldest, who just finished her second year of college, calls us before we go to bed to tell us about her day. We started these talks when she was in kindergarten. Our youngest, who graduated from high school this year, also shares her day as we eat dinner together.
Priorities around our family mission and my personal mission kept my husband and me on track. Our actions, behaviors, and thoughts all aligned with those missions. I was and continue to be a working mom. Although I have extensive experience as an administrator and my husband owned his own business, we chose to accept positions that would allow us to be fully available to daughters.
The positions allowed us to have more flexibility, albeit less money. We both took on side hustles to supplement our household income. Ironic, isn’t it? We each worked full-time jobs and we each had side hustles. We were both present and available to our daughters and spent the majority of our time together.
Over the years I learned valuable lessons about priorities, specifically around work, time, and family. The struggle to juggle life is real and profound. I recognized that I am not the only social worker who has had to manage multiple work and life responsibilities. The mental, emotional, and physical toll of working two jobs can quickly wear you down. When developed to fit you like a glove, however, a side hustle can be exhilarating. It should not feel like work; it should bring out your best and cause you to feel free.
Maintaining a balance between your work life and personal life is important. For this reason, I felt compelled to develop resources for social workers who have side hustles. It helps to have a road map from someone who has been there and done that. I believe my road map provides a guide to developing a sustainable, successful and satisfying side hustle.
The road map begins by prompting social workers to ask Five Smart Questions. The questions allow you to assess what you bring to the table and what you will provide to your clients or customers. They help you to determine your monetary goals for your side hustle. You also have an opportunity to figure out the environment that makes you thrive professionally. You are directed to consider ways to maintain balance by thinking about the support you will need to carry out your venture.
I also developed the Side Hustle Social Worker Webinar Series. This series begins with three introductory webinars that discuss fundamentals social workers should consider when considering a side hustle.
Marcyline Bailey, ACSW, LCSW is the author of Five Smart Questions Social Workers Should Ask if They Want to Boost Their Social Work Income e-book Starter Guide and Planner. These free downloads contain five strategic questions to consider before taking on a side hustle.
“I work with social workers and hard working professionals who want to be happy. I would love to hear from you.” You may join the conversation by commenting on this post or on our Facebook fan page REAL Social Workers Online Magazine or connecting with me on LinkedIn.