🧠 You’re Not Lost — You’re Between Versions of Yourself

Hey there fellow side hustler!

There’s a strange stage that can happen when you’re exploring what might come next.

The old things don't feel quite right anymore.

But the new things aren't clear yet.

You have interests that don't seem to fit together.

You want something different, but you're not entirely sure what "different" means.

And because you don't have a clear answer yet, you may start telling yourself:

But what if you're not?

What if you're simply between versions of yourself?

We change.

Our responsibilities change.

Our interests change.

What once felt exciting can eventually feel ordinary.

Something you were perfectly happy doing five years ago might not fit the person you've become today.

That doesn't mean your previous choices were wrong.

It means you have new information about yourself.

And sometimes that information creates a period of uncertainty.

We tend to imagine personal growth as something obvious.

You learn something.

You improve.

You move forward.

But growth isn't always that tidy.

Sometimes it looks like:

From the outside, that can look like being lost.

From the inside, it can feel even more confusing.

But uncertainty doesn't automatically mean you're going backward.

Sometimes we keep searching for the "right" side hustle because we're trying to recreate an answer that used to work for us.

Maybe you once knew exactly what you wanted.

Then something changed.

Your priorities changed.

Your available time changed.

Your interests changed.

You changed.

The answer isn't necessarily to find your way back.

It may be to discover what fits now.

If you're unsure what direction interests you, don't only look at what you currently like.

Look at what has changed.

Ask yourself:

Those changes are information.

They can tell you just as much as your established interests.

There's another trap that can make this stage harder.

We want labels.

We want to be able to say:

But you don't necessarily need that answer while you're exploring.

You can be interested in something without knowing where it leads.

You can experiment with a new direction without deciding that it's your identity.

You can simply be curious.

Sometimes the next version of yourself becomes clearer only after you've had room to explore.

Being between directions can feel unproductive.

But you're actually gathering information.

You're discovering:

That's valuable.

Because knowing what you don't want can narrow the field just as effectively as knowing what you do want.

You don't have to remain loyal to an old version of yourself simply because you once chose it.

You're allowed to change your mind.

You're allowed to become interested in something new.

You're allowed to discover that the things you once thought mattered most aren't as important anymore.

And you're allowed to take your time figuring out what comes next.

Feeling lost doesn't always mean you've lost your direction. Sometimes it means the person you were building around an old set of interests, priorities, or expectations is changing—and the next version of you hasn't fully revealed itself yet.

That in-between period can feel uncomfortable, but it can also be incredibly useful. Instead of demanding an immediate answer, give yourself permission to notice what's changing, what keeps drawing your attention, and what no longer feels like a fit.

You may not be lost at all.

You may simply be becoming someone with different possibilities.

Side Hustle Quest
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