Ep. 61: Crystal Hammond – Being a Side Hustle Queen Requires Resilience

Today’s guest is Crystal Hammond. She attended Ohio State University and graduated with a degree is in Electrical & Computer Engineering. She also is a landlord (an awesome one) and used to be a day trader. She’s a paid Zumba and INSANITY instructor, has helped people lose significant amounts of weight, and has helped others start their own blogs. She started her own blog on May 16, 2011 – lost everything twice – and restarted again both times. She loves to travel and has been to 17 countries/islands. She’s currently working to build a food box subscription company (she sees it as an experiment) and runs the Grocery Game Challenge. She sees herself as the side hustle queen. Be sure to take some time to get to know Crystal on this episode. Her aggressive “can do” attitude is contagious.

TWEET: Ep. 61: Crystal Hammond – Being a #SideHustle Queen Requires Resilience

She uses pen and paper to keep her life organized and effective.

In the digital age we live in, it’s not very common to hear of someone who’s still using a traditional day planner to organize and get things done. But Aimee’s guest today, Crystal Hammond is one of those people – and she does it far beyond what most people using digital means are willing to do. Crystal not only plans using her planner, she journals, and keeps track of her accomplishments each day – even the conversations she has and the people she meets. And she believes the level of detail she records about her life is what enables her to do so many things and keep herself sane at the same time. Even if you have no interest in keeping a pen and paper record of your life, you can learn a ton from Crystal about organization and processes, so be sure you listen to this episode.

Discovering what you love is more a process than an event.

When Aimee J. asked Crystal Hammond how she went about discovering what she loved, Crystal said it wasn’t so much a discovery as it was a process of exploration. She has tried and done so many things in her lifetime, many of them very successfully, and it’s those efforts and trials that have led her down the path to finding things that truly resonate with her gifts, talents, and desires. You can hear Crystal’s journey toward discovery of her desires and loves on this episode of the Chasing Dreams podcast.

TWEET: Discovering what you love is more a process than an event. Find out more on this episode

Her mistakes are exactly why she shares her story with others.

Crystal Hammond is not your average blogger. She tells everything about her experiences – the good, the bad, and the ugly. Most bloggers aren’t willing to be so vulnerable but Crystal believes that her mistakes are the exact things others need to know about so that they don’t get discouraged and give up. There’s something encouraging about knowing that you’re not the only one experiencing the things you are. There’s something helpful about learning from the mistakes of others, shared humbly and with a heart to help. That’s the kind of mentor and blogger Crystal tries to be. If you take the time to listen to Crystal’s story you’ll walk away with a bigger perspective on your own failures and lessons learned.

Never underestimate the power of a plan.

Crystal Hammond is a meticulously organized person so you'd expect her to say that planning is essential to a successful and productive life. But her approach is not to tell you exactly how you should do the organizing but that you should look to the benefits that come from being organized and then decide on a plan that fits you and your lifestyle. Crystal is convinced that everyone who is willing to take the time to discover and utilize a planning system for their life and projects will see their productivity and success increase exponentially.

TWEET: Never underestimate the power of a plan – on this episode of #ChasingDreams

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE:

[0:49] Aimee’s introduction of her guest Crystal.
[2:53] How Crystal uses a traditional day planner to organize and journal.
[4:05] Crystal’s 7 year journey to getting her engineering degree.
[8:55] How Crystal keeps going with all the things she’s doing.
[12:46] Discovering what you love… it’s a process more than a discovery.
[16:00] The difficult path Crystal experienced with her blogs.
[18:26] Where Crystal got her resilient attitude.
[22:04] The unique approach Crystal is taking with her blog.
[27:29] What Crystal has learned about her audience over the years.
[30:09] Crystal’s future plans.
[33:19] Why Crystal takes things one day at a time.
[35:00] Crystal’s most recent travels.
[37:38] The advice Crystal gives to dream chasers.

GUEST RECOMMENDATION:

Don’t worry about others who are doing the same type of thing you want to do. You will find people who connect with you if you’re willing to get started. There are people who are waiting to hear YOUR point of view.