Logs By Cabin (6/9): Defining Side Hustlers & Tapping into Emotional Dividends
A weekly newsletter for those charged with building the future
Hey, what’s up? It’s Sid. Or Cid, my alter ego. Whichever you prefer.
Welcome to the 1st edition of Logs by Cabin—a weekly newsletter that equips side hustlers with insights to build, grow, and learn together. We cover trends ranging from preparing for the future to practicing mindfulness in our everyday lives.
#1: What’s a side hustler, anyways?
30% of respondents from our survey said: “a person who capitalizes on personal interests”.
Not great data to go off, but a good operating definition to iterate from. The best response comes from Ken Jee, my famous friend on YouTube who answered:
Someone who wants to build the future they want rather than just talk about it.
Pretty awesome, because it’s so darn true.
Reporters describe these people as economies of “gig, passion, freelance, and creative” workers. I like to think that we’re just a bunch of “lazy” millennials and Gen Z’ers. Ones that want to take ownership over the future and get paid for our willingness to practice in public, learn, and build.
It’s what the era of knowledge work was meant to be. Others say that our relationship with work is broken—I think it’s just beginning to blossom.
Companies like Gumroad are testing new models that employ armies of independent contractors who work asynchronously (on their own time). Some ask “where’s the culture?” or “how does this scale?”, but they may be missing the point.
Creating online means leveraging technology and hiring nimble teams to accomplish more than the average boardroom. As the CEO of Acorns puts it, slow and steady growth wins the race. This brings us to the next point.
#2: The best dividends aren’t financial. They’re emotional.
Compound and perpetual—two words that feel like music to any investor’s ears, especially “Mr. Wonderful” from Shark Tank (if you know, you know).
He might not agree with me on this one though.
There are three types of dividends that beat stocks on any given day:
Helping someone who might not be able to help you back
Spending quality time with people you like
Learning something new without expecting future rewards
Less selfish investments pay compound and perpetual interest. They give us pride, gratitude, and purpose to brighten our lives (and make boatloads of money). Such experiences are often the source of creative ideas, connecting us to our “why” and transforming life’s chapters and hardships into a series of fulfilling pursuits.
All three offer knowledge and perspective, which no one can really take away from us.
So yes, the most lucrative dividends have nothing to do with money. Side hustler or not, the “hustle culture” serves no one. In fact, it’s now proven to cause mental health issues and collective stress.
Work should be designed around our lives. Not the other way around.
Wood For The Fire, W(F)TF
(our way of saying “food for thought” or “in case you missed it”):
The Dark Energy Survey released the largest and most detailed map of dark matter in the universe.
Imagineering on Disney+ tells the story of how Walt Disney built a team of artists and engineers to turn the dream of Disneyland into imaginative reality.
“Using color to express emotion is a hallmark of life”. Here’s how Pixar does it.
Mindhunter on Netflix is awesome. It’s a show about how FBI agents use behavioral science to profile and catch serial killers. Watch it. Please?
Hide your kids, hide your likes. Instagram is making it possible, not easy, to hide how well your last post did.
Lebron James’s agent is transforming the business of basketball.
If you’re feeling down about lost money (from crypto, business, life), Scott Galloway’s blog on “MeWork” should help put things into perspective. For example, Neumann burned $13.1M per day as CEO. You’re doing just fine.
Awesome podcast on cultivating imagination, taking cues from LEGO’s “System of Play”.
Quote of the Week:
“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistency...” - Daniel Burnham
Isn’t it crazy to think that Chicago’s riverwalk (the pic below) was planned in his head back in 1909!? That’s over 100 years ago.
So… what’d you think?
Feel free to reply to skhaita2@gmail.com with any feedback or thoughts! We’re just getting started, and would love any ideas for improvement.
While you’re at it…