Christian Stena Feel More Fulfilled In 2017 Interview

Christian Stena Feel More Fulfilled In 2017 Interview

Aussies in search of greater life fulfilment and financial reward are predicted to take-up a -side hustle' in the New Year by turning to the internet to sell their home-grown small business ideas, according to new research commissioned by nbn™.

The nbn™ Side Hustle Report reveals that the global trend is taking the nation by storm as Aussies look outside their day job to offer a product or service online in order to either earn extra income or pursue a particular passion. The report shows the majority of Australians (80 per cent) are looking for fulfilment outside of work with one in four (25 per cent) Aussies admitting to already having one.

To help Aussies find fulfilment in the New Year, nbn™ has teamed up with The School of Life to create a Side Hustle Guide which provides the online tools they need to take their passions to the next to the level.

Christian Stenta, -How To Find A Job You Love' faculty leader at The School of Life said: 'Fortunately we're not limited to our day job to feel challenged and fulfilled in life; with access to fast broadband providing a platform for us to seek inspiration, pursue dreams and even make some extra cash on the side.

'The research shows Australians are obsessed with having a better lifestyle and looking for ways to find fulfilment outside of work. With January being one of the most popular times for people to reassess their career and life direction, we've worked with nbn™ on a guide to help Australians uncover their ambitions, skills and passions, as well as practical tips on how Aussies can embrace the internet to get their side hustle off-the-ground.

'For those looking to make a side hustle their New Year's resolution, access to the nbn™ network could be the answer, with the majority of Australians surveyed saying that faster broadband opens up a world of opportunities to find inspiration as well as new opens up markets to sell their product or service."

Key findings from the nbn™ Side Hustle Report includes:
Money matters: Over one in three Australians (37 per cent) have made money using the internet, and almost half (41 per cent) of people connected to the nbn™ network are already selling products or services, online according to the Telsyte Australian Digital Consumer Study 2017.
E-inspiration: Online tutorials (39 per cent), how-to-articles (37 per cent), online video tutorials (31 per cent) and social media content (30 per cent) are the most popular form of inspiration for Aussies in search of a side hustle.
Popular side hustles: The most popular categories for side hustles include reviewing services or products (22 per cent), photography (21 per cent) and food/drink related (20 per cent). While females skew towards fashion (17 per cent vs. 5 per cent of males) or beauty (15 per cent vs. 3 per cent of males) males take the lead in tech-related hustles (24 per cent vs. 7 per cent females).
Hustle hesitation: Aussies admit financial responsibilities (44 per cent) followed by uncertainty on what to do (36 per cent) are the two biggest factors that prevent them from starting a side hustle. Gen Y (51 per cent) and Gen X (47 per cent) feel more pressure due to financial reasons compared to their fellow Boomers (31 per cent).
To find out more about Aussies' search for fulfilment, and to find your side hustle, visit nbn.com.au/blog

Interview with Christian Stena

Question: What is The School of Life?

Christian Stena: The School of Life is a radical new approach to learning: connecting up the great ideas of culture with the problems of individual life. We mine philosophy, history, literature, neuroscience, sociology, political thought, psychotherapy and art for key transformational or liberating ideas around topics like finding a job we love, having better conversations and making love last. We believe that knowing how to live is something that can be learned. The school was started by the prolific philosopher Alain de Botton in London, and can now be found in 13 cities around the world including Melbourne and Sydney.


Question: What are your top tips for us to feel more fulfilled in 2017?

Christian Stena: Fulfilment can hardly come if we live in ways that go against our underlying beliefs. Take time to find out what you really value in life. When I say values, I'm talking about those underlying convictions that shape our actions and decisions. They are strong motivators: make us want to get out of bed, makes us angry, guide the ways we invest our time and money. They often come from the lessons we learn in times of difficulty and then become an important part of our lives. Look beyond your preferred values (to which we aspire), and use your past to help you unpack those values you're most passionate about.


Question: How can we determine the right passion project (side hustle) for us?

Christian Stena: For 99% of us, knowing what we want to do doesn't arise spontaneously. We don't hear a god like commanding voice telling us to go into accountancy or IT. That isn't to say we don't have strong passions, we just might not be very aware of them or we might just catch glimpses of them from time to time. To find out what they might be, start by parking any concerns around money for a while. Write down everything you've ever enjoyed doing or making, the weirder or more off-beat the list the better - the list will likely be incredibly messy and meandering. At this point, you need to rigorously analyse your list and look for patterns that keep cropping up. It's in spotting these patterns that we can then start thinking about what kind of activities might best suit us.

To help Aussies find fulfilment in 2017 and identify what their side hustles should be, The School of Life has teamed up with the nbn to develop a Side Hustle Guide which provides the online tools needed to take passions to the next level. For more information on how you can discover your own side hustle, check out the nbn blog.


Question: How does the nbn aid in your -passion project'?

Christian Stena: A fast internet connection through the nbn is allowing us to do lots of little experiments much more quickly than ever before. The internet provides us with all the information we need to explore different ideas – to look inside of ourselves, ask what we want, what we enjoy, and then go online to investigate. The latest research from nbn shows that many Australians are going online to find inspiration for their side hustle, with 39% using online tutorials and 31% using online video tutorials. Social media is also powerful, with 60% of millennials following people with successful side hustles.


Question: What advice do you have for getting our passion project (side hustle) off the ground, this year?
Christian Stena: The research shows that half of Australians would like to pursue a side hustle, but have no idea what to do. My main piece of advice is to take an idea, not the idea, start small and test test test. If you feel like you need a little extra guidance, The School of Life has teamed up with nbn and developed a guide to help you uncover your ambitions, skills and passions and work through practical steps to get your side hustle off the ground. You can find the guide on the nbn blog.


Question: Is it common that passion projects eventually become a prosperous part time job?

Christian Stena: Life-long jobs no longer exist for most of us. Recent major structural changes in the workplace mean that we're now more likely to need to develop -'portfolio careers'. This makes it increasingly feasible for us to work as a lawyer 4 days a week, and moonlighting as a master baker around this. Not everyone is interested in self-realisation through their day job. Many people don't feel that their work needs to reflect or express who they are. This is, in a sense, a huge advantage. It means that we can look elsewhere in our life to find fulfilment – freed from the anxieties of making a living. Side hustles are an enormous opportunity to gain a greater sense of fulfilment, whilst also helping to supplement your income.


Interview by Brooke Hunter