I started listen to the podcast “Side Hustle Pro” hosted by Nicaila Matthews Okome about a year ago, and learned all about her process of pursuing her passion of podcasting full time. The podcast really has inspired me, especially listening to the various guests she has on her show that share their stories of entrepreneurship and how they turned their side hustle passions and interests into full time careers.
I especially like how Nicaila has walked listeners through concrete steps in pinpointing their specific passions and launching those visions into a reality. There are so many possibilities in life, so why limit yourself to just one reality? As I continued to listen to her podcast each week and the dynamic women on her show, I too, wanted to seek out a passion project outside of teaching.
Naturally, I love writing and would love to one day become a full time author, and it is a dream of mine to publish a few books one day, but in the interim, I was looking to determine what else was I passionate about ? I knew I liked helping people and found myself more interested in being outdoors dealing with meditative practice.
When my Mom passed earlier this year, I found myself struggling to cope and needing to take my mind off the void I suddenly was feeling. Somehow, I heard about the benefits of sound healing from another podcast I listened to, and decided it’s something I wanted to learn more about. Pretty soon, I enrolled in a sound healing course and ordered a few instruments and that began my sound healing journey. (In a nutshell, a sound bath is an immersive experience where listeners are bathed in sound that reverberate over their body. These sounds can come from a variety of instruments which include crystal bowls, chimes, a gong, etc. The deep sounds can cause a listener to enter a meditative state of deep relaxation and healing).
For the better part of the year, I watched lots of videos and taught myself how to play a few different instruments. I wrote down a vision for starting a sound healing series I would lead in my community to offer people a place of relaxation and healing. I created a logo, contacted wellness centers, and took a leap of faith by hosting my first sound bath session earlier this summer at a local park. The more I took chances, the more rewarding the experience has been.
SOME TIPS I’VE LEARNED
1. Be dedicated to the process : At the end of the day, if you are committed to following your passions, then there is a certain level of time and dedication that goes into it, so be prepared to stick to the process even if it gets hard.
2. Trust the process : Starting a project as solopreneur can be a bit daunting, if not scary, but it can also be an exhilarating and affirming experience. If there’s a seed planted in your mind about a project, follow it and trust that everything will work out. When I first started performing sound baths in my community, not too many people were signing up and even though I was advertising the events, it didn’t seem like enough people were interested. I definitely questioned if I should even continue, but then I remembered, one of my mentors had once told me, that it doesn’t matter if just one or two people show up to an event because that’s progress. That thought really grounded me and reminded me that eventually, once more people find out, it can grow much more.
3. Be Open: Just be open to possibility and change. Be open to trying new ideas, talking to new people, or redefining what things may look like. As I’ve been hosting sound bath sessions, I’ve been seeking feedback and just giving myself permission to open up more.
4. Be Patient: These things take time, especially if it’s a passion only YOU believe in. Not everyone will support or nurture your dreams, but that doesn’t mean you can’t. Understand that things will take time to grow and bloom. When I first started thinking of hosting community sound baths it was just a dream and an outline in my journal. A few months later, and now I host sessions throughout my community, with some sessions even selling out.
5. Be Passionate: As cliche as it sounds, do what you love and love what you do. The whole part of a passion project is to be passionate, excited, and full of energy about your interests. If not, then what is the purpose ? I think being open and flexible helps to keep the passion alive, but as long as you keep trying to develop yourself and learn, then the passion should remain alive !
LIFT YOURSELF HIGHER 