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One Minute Odd Job Tip

If you have a dream, a goal or a project, and if you really want to achieve it, find a way!

There's a wonderful quote from Hannibal, "We will find a way, or make one."

Or perhaps you’re more familiar with Yoda’s famous thought, “Do, or do not. There is no try.”

Instead of thinking, “I can’t do that,” change your mindset. Make it, “How can I do it?”

Take baby steps if you must. Ask for help, try a different way, hire a coach, but never, never, never settle for the status quo. Giving up, giving in, settling and sighing with regret are the only failures. Everything else is success-in-the-making.

Go for it!

>>> NEXT WEEK: The steps to making your dreams come true…

Strictly Business: Getting Past the “Stuck” Places

Recently, I've been noticing how many conversations I’ve had with folks who are "stuck".

They aren’t failures in any sense of the word. They live healthy, productive lives with many successes to their credit.

But they’re also "treading water", "marking time", or "settling" for less than they desire. They are "trying", but aren’t making much progress toward their next goal or toward fulfilling their deepest desires.

We all experience this at times.

Sometimes, after completing a major project, we want to rest, enjoy the new level of our success and catch our breath before moving on. Or, sometimes we aren't sure how to proceed and have to wait and ponder and get a new plan.

There are many reasons to "pause", and that's often a good thing, but it’s very different than being "stuck".

Being "stuck" is no good. It's frustrating, it's irritating, and it undermines our integrity, our self-worth, and our confidence. And, for some people, being stuck seems to be a lifestyle. They set unrealistic goals, or create roadblocks and delays, or have excuses that prevent them from ever achieving, having, or enjoying the things they say they want in life.

For those of you like this, I have no real solutions.

If you wish to stay stuck, for whatever reason, that is your right. But for folks who are determined to make progress, to get past the "stuck places", there are a few strategies that have seemed helpful, and I offer them with respect.

But we’re all different, and we get stuck for different reasons, so we need strategies that fit our values and our situations. Here are some you may find useful:

1. Be honest about being stuck and get really frustrated about it! Say it out loud. Admit your situation to yourself, and get a bit angry about it.

Being stuck is no good and when you get clear enough, and frustrated enough, your brain will find a solution. Be clear that you will NOT stay stuck, and be DETERMINED to find a solution. Sometimes, healthy anger is a great motivator.

2. Get creative. List 20 crazy, insane, silly and original ways to move forward. Give yourself permission to brainstorm, to "mindmap", or to simply do the opposite of what you've been trying. Shake loose, break the mold, or to use that old phrase, to "think outside the box". If you’re stuck, this may help you get past it!

3. Do research. Other folks have achieved what you want to achieve. They found solutions and they made it happen. Learn from them. Ask questions. Read the books. Attend seminars or webinars, take classes, call an expert, hire a coach, but find out how other people have succeeded and do what they did.

4. Question your intentions. Why are you stuck? Do you really want what you say you want? Really? Is there someone you love or whose opinion you value who disagrees with your goal? Are you sabotaging yourself because of ambivalence, confusion, or because your goal conflicts with your values?

If so, resolve this first, then clarify your new goals and move forward.

5. Baby steps are OK.

This is my personal favorite. When I'm stuck on something I truly want, I often give myself permission to make the smallest, simplest, crudest steps forward. I love BIG solutions and instant answers, but sometimes, on some issues, I have to settle for small, incremental progress. Sometimes, we have to trust that "inch by inch, anything's a cinch", and just creep forward until we find a way to make the giant leaps.

The key is to never stop moving.

Too often, we confuse "trying", or worrying, or talking, or dreaming, with actual movement. Those things do not take us forward.

They actually undermine our progress and make us feel like victims.

Some Odd Jobs You May Never Have Considered:

Number 1 — Mobile Itinerant Painter — (S Quadrant¹)

I saw an advertisement that a Work Camper (also known as Workampers) put on one of the forums I’m on about a guy who does painting and travels the country doing it. He has a vintage truck that he pulls a vintage RV behind, and both are painted up to match in vibrant colors.

I would imagine that he’s able to keep himself busy and the wolf away from the door by virtue of his outgoing marketing of himself, and, we assume, by the quality of his work. It seems that some of his work is actually done at the RV parks where he stays. RV Parks always seem to need fences or picnic tables or whatever painted. He probably even makes a deal to have his site as part of his compensation.

Depending on your skills, this may be a transferable business model to many trades — electrical work? Plumbing? Website creation or SEO (Search Engine Optimization)? It would be interesting to talk to him and find out what adventures he’s had with this lifestyle.

Number 2 — Writing Content — (S Quadrant¹)

We live in a content-driven world. The number of words that are published hourly on the internet and otherwise is staggering.

All of these words need to be arranged into a certain order to become content. This are tremendous opportunities for someone who can do this.

The various ways one can capitalize on this are almost as endless as the actual words. One resource that I’ve used, both as a writer and also to buy content, is Textbroker.com. Native English speakers can easily pick up short articles (200-250 words or more) to write for $15 - $25 and up.

You can Google, “Content Writers” and find any number of other gig sites like this. It’s pretty simple to get started by setting up a profile and making yourself available to content buyers.

If you’re a native English speaker, you may have an advantage over some, since it seems that a lot of the people on these kinds of sites are not native-English speakers. (Ever read a User’s Manual and noticed that the writing was not “right”? Some words were used incorrectly and sentences didn’t make sense?)

Use that to your advantage.

For a higher caliber gig, you can use Upwork.com. Here you will find longer, higher-paying and better quality gigs, but it will also take a bit longer to get started. On the other hand, it’s also possible to find long-term and even somewhat permanent gigs on Upwork.com.

Number 3 — Gutter Cleaner — (S maybe B Quadrant¹)

Spring is here, and along with spring comes Spring Cleaning. One of the tasks that most people do not enjoy is cleaning their rain gutters. This creates a great opportunity for an ambitious person who is not afraid of some good, honest work.

Gutter cleaners are tasked with removing debris and obstructions from gutters, ensuring proper water drainage and preventing potential property damage. And a lot of the time, you can charge $50 to $100 per hour for gutter cleaning.

If you’re organized and want to expand your business, you could hire people to do it for you, for about $20-$25 an hour. Tools are basic — all you're going to need is a ladder, gloves and a gutter scooper.

Marketing could be as simple as delivering flyers to a neighborhood where you wish to work. Hire a kid to ride his bike around the area and deliver flyers to each house.

When you’re at a home doing the work, put some bandit signs (thing something the size of a real estate “For Sale” sign) in the yard, and you may be surprised at the business you could generate!

Number 4 — Trash Can Cleaning — (S maybe B Quadrant¹)

This one really fits in well with the whole spring cleaning idea.

Trash cans can, and do, get pretty revolting, and nobody seems to think of cleaning them. This ends up attracting lots of different bacteria and insects and vermin, and we don't want that stuff around our house, right?

So, there's actually a great business, where people will hire you to come in, and believe it or not, clean their trash cans every week or month, sanitizing them and making them look pretty again.

There is a story of a 13-year-old who had the nickname of the “garbage kid”. He started doing this as his own side hustle. The average price per trashcan he charged was $10.

Do the math — if he could clean 10 cans in a day, that meant that his weekly income was going to be $500. If he worked five days a week, his annual income would be $26,000 a year.

If he cleaned 20 cans a day, his annual income would be $52,000 a year.

If you clean 100 cans a day, your annual income would be $260,000 a year.

These trashcans don't take that long to clean at all, you basically just need a power washer and some basic cleaning equipment.

Could you do that?!?

This Week’s Quotes:

The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.

— Lucille Ball

This paperback is very interesting, but I find it will never replace a hardcover book - it makes a very poor doorstop.

— Alfred Hitchcock

Kneeling over a trickling mountain stream and pumping every ounce of water you use though a filter can really change your perception of turning on a faucet.

— Eric Voorhis

All ambitions are lawful except those which climb upward on the miseries or credulities of mankind.

— William Congreve

Be yourself is the worst advice you can give to some people.

— Tom Masson

A Book for Success — The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.

The movie, The Boys in the Boat, came out around Christmas time, but the movie was developed from the book of the same name.

I often prefer the book to a movie of the same topic - the book gives more detail and, if not a work of fiction, is generally true-to-life. It is of interest to me to see how real-life protagonists dealt with seemingly insurmountable obstacles and achieved victory.

The Boys in the Boat does just that. It is set in the 1930s, depression era, and centers mostly around one young man who was abandoned by his family. He and his rowing teammates go on to glory first as the champion team for the University of Washington, and then on to represent the USA at the 1936 Olympics in front of Hitler.

The book is a great read, showcasing the human spirit in action. I highly recommend it!

Humor — VERY Snarfy, so don’t expect to laugh, maybe just a groan…

When does a joke become a ‘dad’ joke?

When it becomes apparent.

Why did the bullet end up losing his job?

He got fired.

What kind of shorts do clouds wear?

Thunderpants

I entered ten puns in a contest to see which would win.

No pun in ten did.

Some Random Final Thoughts—

Many professionals and small business owners believe they own a business, when in fact, they’ve actually created a job for themselves.

What's the distinction?

The difference is in the systems.

A business is a collection of systems and processes that produce results. A job is a task or skill performed by a person in exchange for money.

It doesn't matter if the task or skill is extremely well paid, if you’re paid only when you show up and do your work, then no matter what your tax return might say, you are self-employed and have a job.

Creating a job for yourself is no small thing! Building a profitable law practice or dental practice, or being a professional coach are major accomplishments!

Even if you delegate some of the functions, such as receptionist or bookkeeper, maintaining your skills, serving customers, marketing yourself and running the show is a huge achievement.

But, in many ways, it isn't a "business", it's your job.

A business is organized so that as employees come and go, the tasks can be learned and performed by different people. A business has systems that allow it to function when the boss is sick or away on vacation. A business has a degree of automation, a sense of flow and momentum so that customers see no difference regardless of who fills their order or provides the service.

A business can be sold as a free-standing enterprise.

Let’s be clear, there are advantages to both processes, but for many people, being self-employed is not highly desirable. They don't want to make the investments or design the systems of a business.

They may like the "hands-on", individual style of working for (and often, by) themselves, but running the day-to-day operations (payroll, bookkeeping, making appointments and answering phones, etc.) is not attractive.

The advantage of building a business, however, is that it is as an asset.

It can be sold, or franchised, or licensed to other people. The systems can often be replicated, sometimes even in other industries, and that gives a business tremendous financial leverage.

Whichever way you prefer to go, be clear about your choice.

¹ Cashflow Quadrant references the book, Cashflow Quadrants, by Robert Kiyosaki. In a nutshell, there are four sources of income — “E” Employee, “S” Self-Employed, “B” Business and “I” Investor. We reference these quadrants at the beginning of each of the jobs we talk about in Odd Job Tips Newsletter. To see more about this concept, please refer to this issue of this newsletter.

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