stop using the phrase “side-hustle” to describe your true passions

changing perceptions of work while reading what you’re looking for is in the library by michiko aoyama

I have always hated the idea of work. I still do. What I hate in particular is the amount of time we spend away from the things that bring us real joy. I hate that we spend the majority of our lives doing things we’d rather not do or simply don’t wish to do at all. I think it is one of the saddest things about being a human. We have so much beauty around us and no time to see it because of some arbitrary system put in place by some guys hundreds of years ago. We miss the sunset because we stay in the office too long. We’re too tired to pay attention to our partners and children in the evenings. We can’t even feed ourselves properly with nutritious food because we have drained our energy from dodging Teams calls all day. Life has become all about work and not about exploring—exploring the self, the world, each other.

I’m currently reading What You’re Looking For is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama, and I came across the phrase “parallel career” in the second of the five short stories. While I was reading about Ryo’s struggle with being unsatisfied with his current office job and wanting to pursue his dreams of opening an antique store, I found myself relating to him a lot. I think in this time of burnout and moving towards more flexible working styles, a lot of people can relate to Ryo at the moment.

But I loved the use of the wording “parallel career”. I found it to be a much more interesting way to look at work. My understanding of a parallel career is something you do, most likely some sort of passion project, alongside your full-time job or salaried position. Instead of having a passion project as something you do “on the side”, or as a side hustle, it works alongside your full-time position. They both carry equal weight. One allows the other to exist.

I have spoken before about not letting your 9 to 5 define you, seeing it as just the place you go to earn money to pay your bills, but this idea of a parallel career brings a new perspective. Your job can be something that allows you to pursue other things but those other things don’t have to be less than because it’s not your main source of income. It’s removing the idea that your true passion is just a “side hustle”, less important, something you can do without. Even though it may not make as much money as your full-time position, it is still equally as important. We are multi-faceted beings, and I think our work and the way we spend our time should reflect this.

For instance, I work full time but I have so many other things I spend my time doing that it doesn’t become the most prominent part of my life. I see my other projects as having equal importance and relevance to my life as my salaried position, despite the sizeable gap in earnings.

In the book, Ryo is surprised to learn that the idea of a parallel career is even achievable. But while he speaks to Yasuharu, a man who has an office job but also runs a bookshop called Cats Now Books (adorable), he is also surprised to learn that Yasuharu doesn’t consider himself to be “living the dream”. In fact, he wonders why Yasuhara continues to work in the office when he could just live his dream full-time.

Yasuharu tells him that without his office job, the joy of running a bookshop would begin to run dry. Suddenly he has to worry about making a profit and keeping the lights on and all other aspects of business that tend to dampen our dreams. He sees his office job as the thing that sustains his passion. Instead of looking at work as a means to a practical, quite mundane end (bills, rent, food, etc.), it’s possible to see it as the vehicle for something better and even a necessity to engage with our passion projects stress-free. 

From now on, I’m no longer going to look at the activities and projects I pursue as something I do on the side, but as something I do alongside my full-time job. I will also no longer see my full-time position as a hindrance to what I really want to pursue but as a means to allow me to do so. I think taking the steps to shift the way we look at work can help us discover and engage with the aspects of life that can truly impact us for the better.

what you’re looking for is in the library by michiko aoyama (cosified)

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Hello lovely readers, I hope you’ve been having a good week so far! I am thoroughly enjoying my read of WYLFIITL, it’s the perfect cosy autumn read but who knew I’d be learning so much as well!

I think in order to live good lives, we need to reevaluate our language and perspective around certain things. Yes, I may be tied to a laptop for the majority of my day but I’m choosing to look at it as something that allows me to write on Substack without worrying about the financial aspects or crochet book sleeves without worrying about shipping prices, you know? Let me know your thoughts on this!

Also, a quick note that I will be changing my post days to Wednesdays at 12 pm (BST) instead of Tuesdays.

Enjoy the rest of your week and I’ll see you next Wednesday! <3

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