Side projects without expectation

A mentor once told me how she started her business, it was a side project, ‘a side project of ten years’. It was as if she carried it in her pocket, fed and watered it, sometimes talked openly about it, sometimes was very secretive about it, loved it and was continually frustrated by it! There was never a plan for it to become something, to make money, to get hits. It was not her career, it was simply something she enjoyed doing. 

This idea of side projects has always stuck with me. Friends, colleagues, clients are starting to talk about their side projects. Websites, products, a book, a podcast, a family memoir, a screenplay. There is a renewed curiosity about them, that perhaps this is the moment they have been wishing for, a chance to give their project some attention and energy. What if being at home is a gift? Turn ‘lock-down’ on its head, unlock what we keep neglecting.

Language is so important right now, even the term ‘side project’ can take the pressure off it having to become something. It is enough that it gives you energy, a creative outlet, something a bit different. I have found that my side projects tend to feed into other projects, they are never isolated ideas. Creativity without expectation. They also require us to let go of the belief that it’s not a good use of time, or it won’t get me anywhere, or I don’t know where it will lead. Can you see how time has taken on a whole new meaning right now, that trust is what is needed. If not now, then when?

So feed and water your side projects, you never know what legs might grow and what opportunities could open up. Hopefully this experience shows us how little control we have over events, and that we have control over the choices we make and how we use that precious thing called time. 

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Sally Powell is a professional leadership coach, passionate about creating space for teams and individuals to think and act differently.