I recently came across the term “moonlighting” while reading the papers in the subway, and it actually illustrates my current situation, so I thought it could be worth a post!
Do you know the concept of moonlighting?
It is a term that suits a lot of ambitious people from the 21st century, who aim to be entrepreneurs, have a daily alimentary job and another job, often related to an entrepreneurial project.
Hey! I am a moonlighter then!
You are going to tell me: “if your dream is to be an entrepreneur, why don’t you leave everything behind and live the dream??” Let’s be realistic, you don’t become a successful entrepreneur making huge amounts of money overnight! You need to invest time, money (small or big), persistence, focus, etc. And, in the meantime, you have bills to pay! A dream takes time, and efforts, so a job that pays the bills is often very welcome when it comes to financial matters.
Of course, there are the lucky ones, who can also find a job linked with their project, that can help them grow faster, meet helpful people, or give them time to spend on useful things for their project, but it does not mean they will go home and chill after their 9-5 job anyway…
You know, we sleep an average of 8 hours per night, we usually work 8 other hours on an alimentary job. 8 hours are remaining and can definitely be used to work on this special project of yours! It is only a matter of priorities…
Moonlighting, like any other job, is also about the network. Building a network of like-minded people is important, not only in order to make your business success but also for moral support, motivation and inspiration along the way!
Join online groups, go to networking events, because being an entrepreneur does not mean that you have to stay alone, on the contrary! And being in contact with the right people will be really helpful when it gets to keep on track!
We will all naturally tend to prioritize the alimentary job because it is secure and pays the bills. But like-minded people will help you keep your dream objective in mind, and motivate you to take action, stop procrastinating (oh, here you are my dear procrastination!).
You know that a dream will come true if it is your first priority! And if you are the lazy kind, or the “running after time” kind, even if you have this burning desire to succeed inside, just buy a notebook, and organize your days, your weeks, your future.
If being an entrepreneur is one of your dreams, now you know you are not alone and you have no excuse not to give it time and join our amazing gang of moonlighters!