Streams Of Income: The Day Of Doing One Job Well Is Over

By: Suzette Hinton
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:17:40
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The day of being a one-trick pony is over. I think that has been the point of this season in my life. I was raised to get good grades, go to college and get a good-paying job. And for 40 something years, I've remained in that mindset--putting all my energies into one thing.

Newly separated, I started looking around for what I owned or what skills I had that could stabilize me financially. One, I knew I could use my musical talents. So I put the word out that I was looking to play keyboard for a church. Before long, I entered a subcontractor relationship with a local church ministry. Two, I knew that I was good at typing, desktop publishing, and bookkeeping. Before long, I was producing monthly newsletters. It caught on and others started utilizing my services. In one month, I brought in $3000.

Things were going well at first. What I didn't understand, however, is wells dry up. Tending to focus on one thing at a time, I was caught off guard when as quickly as the money started to flow, it stopped.

Streams of income have to be primed like wells. You have to get one well working, move to another and another, all the while, keeping a watchful eye on all of them. It reminds me of the juggler who spins plates on a pole. He's got to spin one and then another, but keep them all spinning. It takes lots of work!

As all my spinning plates crashed to the floor, I felt the answer was finding stable employment. Therefore, I accepted a full time opening with the outpatient substance abuse agency where I was then working part-time as a counselor assistant. Exemplary performance led to an offer to run on office on my own. I accepted the offer. Initially, I felt great. The headquarters office was so chaotic: phones ringing, doors opening and closing, people constantly in each others' way. It was a relief to be away from all that. At least, at first.

Sometimes revelation can be terrifying. Your wise self knows that something is not for you or that something has served its purpose and it's time to move on but the timing couldn't be worse. Fearing uncertainty, I tried to talk myself into the benefits of remaining at my job. I told myself that I was making almost as much money as I was making working with my ex. I told myself that I had a child to feed. I told myself that I was now 46 years old and did not have the luxury of irresponsibility. Despite my valiant arguments, my heart refused to listen.

I had to leave, but I had nothing else.

What I learned during that time would change my life forever and it's this: do not underestimate the human spirit. It is relentless. If trapped in a prison with no foreseeable escape, the human spirit takes anything--a popsicle stick, an old spoon--and begins digging its way out.

As faith would have it, I had already begun a home study life coaching course and was almost done. I took a chance and gave a one month notice to my employer. In the weeks counting down to my last day of employment, I secured a piano-playing job with a local church. Within the pages of my coaching materials were some ideas on how to market my coaching business. My interest was sparked most by E-publishing. I began to contribute content to the directory thereby coaching hundreds of readers. Before long, I located an online publisher who would pay for my articles. I got my first payment within 5 days of submitting.

Today, I have a job interview with a temporary agency. Sound familiar? Don't be fooled. I've shed that stinkin thinkin, that one-trick pony mentality. I don't plan to vacate my other streams for one job. This time, I have my music income primed and producing. I have an online paying source for my articles primed and producing. Once I get a job, I'll have three active streams of income. I'll be doing what I enjoy doing, yet having the money in order to do it.

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