I hear so many people say:

"You have to quit your job to go all-in.”

“You'll never make it unless you quit your job."

And frankly, I’m tired of hearing it.

If you've been following my journey so far, you'll know that I've spent the last few months figuring out what I want to do with this newsletter, and to a larger extent, my life.

I come to you today with a newfound sense of direction. Not just for me, but for you.

First, let’s recap since it’s been a minute.

A brief history of this newsletter

I started on this adventure in January, which feels like a lifetime ago at this point.

This newsletter has gone through many iterations over the last 6 months, but I think I’ve finally nailed it.

(I will be migrating over my old articles/newsletter editions over here in an archive, but they remain live on my old site currently.)

I started out calling “Words with Ward”, where I posted longer articles about whatever was on my mind: writing, learning, ideas I was wrestling with, experiences I had gone through, etc.

The main purpose was to help people by sharing my experiences and life lessons. 

It felt great to get these thoughts out of my mind and share them with the world...even if it was only a group of friends and family reading them.

Then a month in, I pivoted to “Contentsation” because I wanted to share not only articles I’d written, but also, clips, tweets, songs, videos, or anything that had influenced my articles as a way to supplement my writing. 

However, I knew it wasn’t quite right and realized the emails were way too long.

No one reads long emails.

Not even me.

"Need to change that," I thought.

Then came the PR30 Challenge (fka NC1T - no cuts, one take) by Zach Pogrob, where I recorded 30 videos in 30 days posting each one to my YouTube channel.

This was a massive step for 2 reasons:

1. It broke down the fear of putting my face out there online.
2. It allowed me to get my message to a broader audience who could now not only read my words, but also feel my words much more deeply by actually seeing and hearing me. 

But what was my message?

During this challenge, I met with Zach and we talked about honing in on my brand message by cleaning up my twitter profile because it was pretty unclear what I had to offer anyone who stumbled upon my page.

It was unclear because, well, I was unclear.

I didn’t really know what I was trying to do besides help people through writing, video, and sharing all of this content. 

But who was I helping?

And what was I helping them do?

I decided to phone a few friends for some help, and my friend Marc told me this:

“Whenever anyone asks me what you’re doing with the content, I tell them, ‘he’s a super committed person, and feels like he can help people stick to their goals by sharing what he’s learned through doing challenges/commitments.’”

Commitment. I took it and ran with it.

I added the word ”commit” to my bio and added this emoji 🤝 to symbolize what I’m about.

With this realization, I changed my newsletter to “no nonsense." A fitting title for someone who's all about commitment and following through on goals with my angle being: cutting through a lot of the bullsh*t that's online when it comes to routines, productivity, and becoming successful through various "hacks."

This ran for about a month, sending articles + videos about various commitments I’d been doing: the PR30 Challenge, a 5-day Water Fast, as well as tips to help people stay committed to their goals.

It felt good, but was it completely right..?

Recording daily videos had a significant impact on figuring out what I want to do with my content and my life. Iterating daily on your ideas and then stepping back after a few to see what the common themes is seriously the only way I would’ve gotten here so quickly.

Because of this, I decided to continue crushing daily videos even after the 30-day challenge and commit to a full year of daily uploads to YouTube (Today is Day 83/365). With each video, I've learned a bit more about what I'm doing here. Who I'm helping and what I'm helping them do.

And the #1 thing I've learned is...

It's not about me.

It is absolutely key. 

I learned this through researching "branding" more intensely.

There was a book in my reading list that I had queued up for a while, and something told me to final open it up.

That book was, Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller.

In this book, I learned that this whole thing: what I’m doing, the videos, the articles, the content…ALL of it….is not about ME.

What do I mean? 

The best companies in the world become the best by helping their customers feel a sense of transformation from buying their product/service.

• Apple helps you create your dreams and connect to anyone in the world instantly. 
• Nike helps you run faster, jump higher, and look sick doing it.
• Amazon helps you get the things you want to make your day-to-day life easier.

Notice anything?

• “helps you”
• “helps you”
• “helps you”

They’re the best because they help you, the customer.

This newsletter, the YouTube channel, the Instagram, the Twitter….it’s not about ME.

It’s about YOU.

You are the HERO.

I’m merely the GUIDE.

Who’s going to give you a PLAN.

To help you AVOID FAILURE.

And to ultimately ACHIEVE SUCCESS.

This book coupled with Zach’s advice to “be relentlessly useful” changed everything for me.

It was tough to see when first starting because you idolize these creators and all that they've accomplished and look up them as mentors. 

But I think there's a misconception about content creators -- you think you like them because it's about them and their journey, but really, it's about you.

It's always about you: the viewer.

Especially in the "value creator" / "education creator" space that I've found myself in. 

The best content creators put the viewer first and know who they are trying to help, what they are trying to help them do, and how they can help them do it.

**click**

It all made sense.

The Hero's Journey

So what does your story (you, the hero) look like?

• What journey are you on?
• Where are you now?
• Where do you want to go?
• How can I help you get there?

"How would I help myself six months back?" I asked.

Where was I back then?

I was stuck.

Stuck in my job.

Stuck in life.

Stuck doing something that don’t love for the next 40 years.

40 YEARS.

Then eventually, I’d retire.

And then…

I’d die.

Die without knowing what I’m truly capable.

I know I’m meant for more.

The kid has always known.

And if you’re reading this, you know it, too.

You know you’re meant for greatness.

7-year old you had all of these dreams but life had different plans for you.

You feel stuck, like I did.

It may seem bleak now.

Like it’s so far out of reach that you don’t know where to even begin.

But you can make 7-year old you proud.

It’s possible.

And what’s even better is…

It’s possible without having to quit your job.

You don't have to go "all-in"

You can keep the security of your job and build your dreams on the side.

The way I see it, your job is your scholarship.

Why stop paychecks from rolling in?

So you can say, “I only ate ramen and slept on the floor of an Applebee’s bathroom to get where I’m at today”...?

Who wants to do that?

Not me.

I mean, I would if I absolutely had to, and honestly, respect to people who are willing to do that to go after their dreams.

But you don’t have to.

If you have job that’s paying you right now, why would you stop the money from rolling in?

Let your job be the investor to your future.

Let it keep the lights on for you.

Because while you’re working your job, you have the opportunity to build up your skillset, build out your content, and work towards your dreams, not someone else’s.

To those people that say, “the only way is quit your job and go ‘all-in’.”

I have two words: "f*ck that."

You can do both.

You can keep your job while building in your off hours.

You can responsibly turn your side hustle into your full-time.

If this sounds like you, then welcome :)

Secure Side Hustle has entered the building.

My mission is to help you turn your side hustle into your full-time without quitting your job.

Hence, “Secure Side Hustle”.

Even if you don’t have a side hustle yourself just yet, but you definitely don’t buy into the regular 9-5 lifestyle…don’t worry.

I gotchu.

I’m here to show you how to turn your interests into income.

Anyone can do it.

Let me repeat.

ANYONE can do it.

Every single person on this planet has an interest that they can turn into an income stream.

I firmly believe that.

Now, it won’t be easy, but it is 100% possible.

You’ll need some guidance along the way, that’s where I come in.

This my current mission for my own life.

I’m currently working a 9-5 job.

I’m also building my side hustle.

What's my side hustle?

This. Right here. What you’re reading. What you’re watching over on YouTube.

This is it.

A bit meta…I know.

I’ve spent the last few years stacking skills like (coding, graphic design, copywriting, email marketing, branding, product design) to get to where I am today.

I have a long way to go.

WE have a long way to go.

But we’re going to do it together.

Through this process, I’ve realized there are just a few fundamental skills you need to run successful online business.

Four to be precise.

For that reason, I'm on a mission to Master All 4 Elements of the Digital World:

writing, video, branding, monetizing

And as I learn skills and techniques for each element, I’m going to be sharing them with you in real time.

Packaging up each lesson into a video, newsletter, or tool to help you learn it faster.

My plan is to grow this newsletter, this community of people who are on this shared path, who don’t want to die a regretful death, who are willing to do whatever it takes to make their dreams come to life.

Together, we’re going to:

• Master All 4 Elements of the Digital World
• Turn our interests into income
• Be happy and make bank

Because…

“It’s easier now more than ever to make money doing the thing you love” - me

So, let’s get after it.

-Ryan Ward