(Exercising Your Mind) By Rufus Carter

Making a living is certainly the root of a lot of headaches and stress. That’s the last thing you need as you strive to rebuild your life while recovering from substance abuse. Unfortunately, landlords and utility companies don’t take kindly to late payments.

To keep paying your bills, you don’t have to give up your search for a long-term position in the career of your choice. While you look, consider finding a temporary side hustle in the gig economy, which is more lucrative than you think and allows you to set your own hours. The sense of accomplishment you feel as a solopreneur will only encourage your sobriety. Moreover, getting out of the house, interacting with others, and doing productive work can help you combat the feelings of loneliness and isolation many people in recovery struggle with as they rebuild their lives. If you have qualities such as being tenacious, regimented, and competitive, you may even find that your side hustle could turn into a full-time job.

In addition, business platforms make it easier than ever to find your first clients. In many cases, getting started requires little more than setting up an online profile and contacting businesses or individuals that want what you have to offer. Here are a few ideas to get some revenue rolling in.

Watch Pets

Get paid for spending quality time with dogs and cats while their owners are away from home. As a sitter, you would stay at their home or visit regularly to feed the critters and give them some water as well as a little fresh air and playtime. Find your first gig and then build a solid reputation and client base from there. Online platforms allow you to register as a pet sitter, walker, or a boarder, in which case you would open your own home to pets. The pet parents get the peace of mind that their best friend is well cared for, and you get the unconditional love and affection a pet has to offer, which is great for someone in recovery.

Sell Crafts

The biggest platform for this is Etsy, which has gained worldwide renown for connecting shoppers looking for a wide variety of creative handmade clothing, decorations, and other items that meet their eclectic tastes. Setting up a virtual storefront takes less than an hour, and with the right product and clever marketing, you can rake in thousands of dollars per month. Plus, a creative outlet helps you express yourself as you recover.

Teach Music

If you’ve mastered an instrument, novices all over the world could use your expert guidance, and they’re willing to pay top dollar for it. It’s not unheard of to charge $70 per hour if you have enough experience, which adds up to a hefty $1,750 per week at five hours of a day for five days a week. Here’s a place to connect with some students. As an added bonus, music is therapeutic in and of itself.

Run Errands

Yes, it’s as simple as that. There are plenty of people out there who need someone to pick up their groceries, and that could be you. One of the most well-known platforms is Instacart, and you can register as one of their full-service shoppers if you have access to a car to make deliveries.

Clean Houses

Being a neat freak can be monetized, and the best way to do that is sweep, mop, and dust for cash. There are even apps that will do all the legwork of finding clients so you can concentrate on what matters most, which is making houses sparkle and shine. For some of these apps, once you’re done, invoices are sent out quickly and easily via the platform so there’s no worry about getting paid. Though we don’t usually think of cleaning as physical activity, it is! Cleaning may not give you the same endorphin rush as running a 5k, but you should still see a bit of mood boost.

Be a Wordsmith

If you’ve got a way with the words, then you can make ends meet while flexing your brain as a writer or editor. Online and offline publications are on the lookout for content, and you can fill in a niche or two depending on your area of expertise and life experience. You may just fall in love with sharing your knowledge with the rest of the world via the written word, which is something many people in recovery do as a therapeutic hobby.

Easy access to clients, flexible hours, and being your own boss are essential when you enter the gig economy. All it takes is finding something that suits you. Once you do, watch the money roll in while you rebuild your bank account and your life.

Image via Pixabay.

Wealth Attraction Research offers free information on vocational and avocational motivation, as well as self-improvement through hypnosis, yoga, capoeira, and much more! If you have any questions, please email HAK@UniquilibriuM.com.