I recently saw a report by Sharon Epperson on CNBC on what they’re calling a new phenomenon of “income stacking.”

Apparently around 5.2% of the workforce, which equates to about 8.4 million people, now have multiple jobs, typically one primary job and one additional stream of income through freelance or gig work (Uber driver, etc.).

When I was younger, I always had two jobs. One primary job which was in an office – good benefits, stable paycheck – and another more creative outlet. I worked in clothing stores at night and on weekends, I did color consulting and personal shopping for awhile. I lived in a place where the cost of living was high, so in addition to two jobs I lived with roommates until I got married, when we had two household incomes.

Even today I derive income from more than one source, as does my husband.

According to Sharon Epperson, this is not just a passing fad but a cultural shift in how we view work.

One of the main things Changing Course has focused on over time is multiple streams of income. There are many reasons for what they’re now calling “income stacking,” including:

• You want to do something more creative but it won’t pay the bills on its own.
• You’re afraid you may be laid off and you want to start something now so you can hopefully rely on it later.
• AI is coming for your job and you want to be ready to pivot quickly.
• You’re approaching retirement age and you want to easily transition to something enjoyable to stay engaged and relevant.
• Your cost of living has increased dramatically and you need more income.
• You can’t find a job at all, or one job that pays enough to support your lifestyle.

You may have different reasons, but the concept is sound:

We need to think about how reliable our source of income really is.

Larger corporations are undergoing rapid change in how they view employees and there’s good reason to start planning for a future without abundant available jobs with benefits, much less employment security.

If you’re considering income stacking, multiple streams of income, or full-on career change, the Changing Course method and Thinking Outside the Job Box can help you choose a direction that will feed your soul as well as your bank account!

The other night, in anticipation of the release of the sequel and in conjunction with the Met Gala, The Devil Wears Prada was on TV. I had seen it before, actually a couple of times. I didn’t watch the whole thing, I tuned in at the end when Andie has had enough and walks away from Miranda and the “dream job.”

They had just had a conversation where Miranda tells her she reminds her of herself, and Andie is adamant they are nothing alike. The conversation ends with Miranda telling Andie “everyone wants to be us.”

For Andie, it’s a realization of who she’s become and that it’s not who she wants to be.

Have you ever had that feeling? That maybe following your dream has led you down an unexpected path that’s turned into something of a nightmare?

In the movie, Andie returns to her first love, writing, and possibly her former boyfriend. She gives away the designer clothes and returns to her previous wardrobe style.

If you’re in a transitional phase in your life or career, it’s useful to reflect on who you once were, who you’ve become, and what you may have abandoned along the way.

Sometimes what we’ve left behind is best not reclaimed.

But some of what we used to love may benefit from revisiting.

We can’t go back to it exactly. We’re older and wiser and times have changed dramatically since we were younger.

But reconnecting with those forgotten parts of us that brought us joy is a worthwhile endeavor. Allowing it to inform our next steps will help us decide who we really want to be in our next phase.

I attended an event several weeks ago which, by all accounts, was a smashing success. At a mastermind breakfast the following day, the leader revealed that he had heard a complaint from someone – one person – and felt he had to do some soul searching about the event based on this complaint.

Has that ever happened to you?

Despite overwhelming positive feedback, the thing you take to heart is the one complaint.

The problem with “soul searching” is that rarely is that what we do. We “head search” – ruminate about the feedback, trying to think of how we could have done better, maybe even questioning whether we should continue with the program or event or idea.

If we truly were searching our soul, we would have more clarity.

Many years ago, when I first started out as a Changing Course coach, I was a table sponsor at an event hosted by a mentor of mine. At one point during the two or three days, a woman approached me and chastised me for using the word “reinvention.” She scolded that she had not “invented” herself, and that the very idea implied fraud or inauthenticity.

Even though I disagreed with her, I took it to heart. I stepped back for awhile and re-evaluated my entire business. I stopped using that terminology.

The advice those of us who were at the breakfast gave was, “consider the source.” This person was not in the mastermind group, it was the first event of his she had attended, and it would likely be the last. Sometimes the people who complain are just not your people.

Constructive criticism should absolutely be taken to heart. But any sort of criticism, constructive or otherwise, can trigger impostor feelings that can lead you to question yourself, beat yourself up over perceived failure, maybe even quit altogether.

A healthy response to criticism is first, consider the source. Is this person someone whose opinion you respect, who supports you in what you’re doing? Would incorporating the feedback help you to improve?

In the “overcoming obstacles” portion of the Changing Course method and Thinking Outside the Job Box, we talk about where not to go for support. Even people who have your best interests at heart can discourage you. They love you, but don’t want you to change. They don’t want you to try and fail or be disappointed or leave them behind. Better to stay safe, right where you are.

In the end, we have to learn to trust ourselves and “consider the source” when accepting or rejecting criticism and feedback. As another mentor of mine says, does it make the boat go faster? If not, don’t just turn the boat around or change course because of one person’s opinion.

Search your soul (not your head!) and the clarity will come.

I’ve spent the last 10+ years doing contract/vendor work for a company in my area who shall remain nameless. It was perfect for both of us – I had the flexibility to work from anywhere, at any time (well, for the most part, unless there was an urgent project or a meeting I had to attend). They only had to pay my hourly rate – no health care benefits, stock options, paid vacations or holidays.

It worked really well until it didn’t. In January, with little more than a few hours notice, the budget ran out and I was told to cease all work immediately. Then came the layoff announcements, the shift in direction, and in the new fiscal year, there was no budget for the entire team I was part of. In fact, the team as I knew it no longer exists.

I flirted with getting a “real” job. But part of the flexibility of the contract work enabled me to work on Changing Course and other projects that were not in conflict with that commitment. Did I want to give that up?

Additionally, for the past several years I’ve been helping my brother navigate health issues and most recently relocated my 85-year-old mother from her home on the east coast here to Washington state to be closer to my brother and me.

There’s no way I could manage a full-time job. Not to mention, I am in an age category that has difficulty getting a foot in the door.

I am officially unemployable.

It doesn’t have to be family commitments or health issues, or even age discrimination.
There are a lot of reasons why you might be unemployable.

• You may want to work remotely and companies that are hiring for the work you do want you in the office.
• AI may be replacing the work you do, or making it so fewer people are needed to do it.
• You may be disillusioned with the endless treadmill and “do more with less” attitude of corporations.
• You may even have been thinking about starting your own business, early retirement, or changing careers altogether.

One of the myths about our society is that having a job is the only way to make a living.

Sure, there are benefits other than salary that are often covered – things like health care, which is increasingly expensive, and the aforementioned paid holidays and vacations. Some companies provide free food or soft drinks, a subsidized cafeteria, and other perks like stock grants that can make working there very attractive.

It all comes down to what you want your life to look like, or what your life has to look like if you have commitments that make it difficult for you to do the 9-to-5 (which in most places is really 8-to-whenever, sometimes 10 or more hours a day) plus commutes which are also getting exponentially longer.

Just because you’re unemployable doesn’t mean you have no options. You probably have a lot of expertise and life experience that you can monetize. Pursuing a passion can lead to not just monetary rewards but a more joyful existence, which benefits not just your own well-being but that of those around you.

Celebrate your uniqueness. Being unemployable can be the path to your ideal life!