Last week I shared with you five ways that you could tell your story, make a difference, and earn an income doing so. This week, I continue that list with some pretty untraditional forms of telling a story, yet some pretty awesome ones too! Not only that, but you can actually earn money while using any one of these methods.
For a long time, I struggled with the idea of making money helping people. Then it occurred to me one day…. “You’re a nurse,” I said to myself. “You took care of people. Often whether someone lived or died was in your hands.” I shook my head yes in agreement. “And you never once refused a paycheck for doing so, why is that?” I asked myself.
I’m not sure how the idea that someone earning a living helping others ever became twisted in our minds to be something undeserving of pay. In fact, isn’t helping others the thing most worthy of pay?
As a difference maker, you no longer have to be weighed down by guilt because you charge money for your knowledge, experience, and yes—your caring. I’d much rather do business with someone who cares about me and whether I get results than someone who doesn’t. Wouldn’t you?
Let go of holding yourself accountable for the misdeeds of others and take a look at these other ways that you can make an income while caring for those who trust you to do so. In this list, you will find some imaginative ways to serve others and provide them with something of value worthy of exchanging their hard earned money.
The top 10 Ways to Make a Difference While Making an Income Using Your Story – Part 2
- Singing/songwriting ~ I’ll bet you didn’t see that one coming. Did you? But seriously, think about the lyrics of most of the songs that you enjoy. They all tell a story. If you love to sing, consider writing and singing songs that tell your story! Not a singer, but love writing? You can still write songs and sell them to those who do sing.
- Art ~ Another storytelling method that has spanned the ages. Whether you like to paint, draw, craft, sew, or some other type of art form, your art is an awesome way to tell your story.
- Radio ~ This one may not be as appreciated as it should. For some reason, we associate radio with something our great grandparents did for entertainment. What we fail to realize is that 90% of Americans listen to the radio every day (according to Nielson) and many of these radio shows are broadcast over the Internet. Ever have a dream of being a radio star? Now you can start up your own radio show online.
- Podcast ~ What’s even better than radio? Podcasts! With a few relatively inexpensive pieces of equipment and your home computer, you can quickly put together your own podcast, upload it to itunes and begin meeting the needs of your listeners.
- Live Streaming ~ Live streaming is the latest trend in reaching people. Your audience benefits because they get to interact with you in a more “natural”, immediate sense rather than through a recording. As far as making an income through this type of venue, some of the applications have a direct money making ability built into them, others benefit you and your audience as a way for you to teach and promote other products that you sell. One example of this is a teacher/mentor/coach who offers viewers a live sample of their teaching methods and information and then directs viewers to their online store to gain access to the full program.
BONUS
- Cooking!! ~ This one dates back to the beginning of time! All of us love to connect to our roots and family recipes are one sure way to do so. Sharing recipes, cooking someone a meal, or teaching someone how to make your famous brownies are all excellent ways to tell your story! You can also use your recipes to make an income by creating a recipe book, teaching cooking classes, or producing videos on YouTube.
To recap, here is the list in its entirety
- Books
- Speeches
- Teaching
- Blogging
- Video
- Singing/songwriting
- Art
- Radio
- Podcast
- Live Streaming
- Cooking
Naturally, each of these modes of storytelling has its pros and cons and the ways in which they can be used to make money while using your story are varied and deserve further exploration.
First, decide which of these storytelling approaches best meet the needs of your audience (yes, even a single person is still an audience) as well as your own desires to tell your story and soon you will be on your way to making an income while making a difference.
Question: Which of these storytelling methods makes your heart sing? Please tell me in your comment below.