the sprout of an idea.
Ideas come in many shapes and sizes. They start from the time we are children and develop into more advanced thoughts as we grow older and learn from our experiences. As an idea sprouts, there is meaning behind it. Whether you are creating a new recipe or building a new business; there always seems to be a purpose.
defining purpose.
Many people (including myself) often struggle with their purpose. Before figuring out what your purpose is, I think it might be more useful to define purpose and how to use it to your advantage.
[ pur-puhs ] (n)
the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
an intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.
The idea is not to define your purpose at this very moment, but to understand yourself and how to make yourself happy. That’s what this is all about, right? We all want to be happy.
We all deserve to be happy.
Getting a better understanding of yourself means learning what you like, what you dislike and what keeps you going throughout the day. I’ve had countless jobs from the age of 12 years old and I learned very early on that I like to work.
I started working at my uncle’s fish market and restaurant to save money in hope of buying a car one day. While I was preparing the front-of-the-house with silverware, glassware and linens, the kitchen staff prepped the back-of-the-house with food. Together, we were a unit that operated as a team to serve the public (and get paid to do it).
getting paid to learn.
I took great pride in creating an income for myself while I was in school. Most of the kids from my high school had their parents buy them their first car; I was able to buy my own. I used my early experiences in the hospitality industry to break into events, brand activations and realized the power of digital media.
Whether you’re able to learn communication skills and teamwork at a restaurant, or gain experience at a medical clinic, you can get paid to learn useful skills for your future.
When I graduated from college, I focused on finding a job in the digital marketing sector and relentlessly applied to any company that had an open position. After landing at Havas Media, I was able to gain hands-on experience in TV and radio, digital media and programmatic advertising. It gave me new insights on how much money was flowing through big-brand advertising dollars and state-of-the-art ad tech.
While I was learning massive amounts at Havas and loving the digital landscape of business, I was dreading pushing papers everyday for a middle-manager who didn’t have time to make eye contact with her co-workers. I wanted a way out.
doing it for yourself.
During a get-together at the beach this past summer, I overheard someone preaching to his friend “start doing it for yourself!” Without much context, it might sound rude at first. But I caught on to what he was saying and encouraged him to elaborate.
He explained that he was a construction worker who does demolition, contracting and odd-jobs around commercial or residential buildings. While he works full-time for a large company, he recently started taking side-gigs by family, friends and mutual acquaintances to earn extra money with his spare time. It will not make him a millionaire overnight, but he is actively pursuing new opportunities that can lead to more and more in the future.
When I was at Havas, I knew I wanted to continue building my digital portfolio which lead me to slowly branching out. I dove into programmatic video, e-mail marketing and eCommerce; all bringing a rollercoaster learning experience along the way. It has taken a tremendous amount of time, patience and sacrifice, but I love every second of it.
1 + 1 = 3
Each person I meet and every conversation I have can lead to a new opportunity to create. That’s how business works. New interactions can lead to a wide variety of new opportunities that were once unknown.
Be open-minded and teach yourself to look at things with a different perspective. If you aren’t sure about where to start or how to pivot your thinking, feel free to reach out. I help people take a step back and evaluate where to seek new income producing ideas.
There is a tremendous amount of wealth and inspiration that will be generated through the digitalization of life. In my next post, I will elaborate further on the sprout of an idea and get into getting started.
Thanks for reading.
- mm