We all want a career that fills us with passion and purpose. And of course one that pays us.

Yet, there is nothing worse than dragging yourself out of bed every morning, just to go work for hours on end, build someone else’s dream and leave feeling lifeless and uninspired.

Entrepreneurship may seem like the anecdote. But perhaps you don’t have the risk tolerance to leave your 9-5 just yet? Perhaps you need a side hustle.

A side hustle is often the gateway into entrepreneurship without the immediate risk. Many entrepreneurs pride themselves on taking gigantic risks, and that’s great, but it may not be realistic for some of us.

Side hustle while you work full-time

Maybe you just graduated college and you don’t want to go home and live with your parents again. If you have corporate job, you may not want to kiss it all goodbye just yet. If you have bills to pay, or debt to pay off (hello, student loans), a paycheck helps.

But if you find yourself feeling incredibly unfulfilled, craving financial freedom, and feeling like there has be more to life, you need to start a side hustle. Here are 5 reasons why:

1. Do work you actually enjoy

Do you ever find yourself completely uninterested and uninvested in work projects? You may feel as though you have to force yourself to feel passionate about your work. And sitting in an office for eight or more hours feels like an eternity.

A side hustle that combines both your passions and personal strengths, can finally help you create a sense of fulfillment. Instead of feeling drained and exhausted, you can feel energized with purpose. You may have to force yourself to work your 9-5, but you’ll discover a new eagerness to hustle.

2. Test your business idea, risk free

Before you start your side hustle or move from part-time wantrapreneur to full-fledged entrepreneur, you most definitely need to validate your business idea. However, you will never really know how your product or service will be received by consumers until you execute.

A side hustle will allow you to see if your business idea has the potential to be successful and generate a profit. A 9-5 paycheck can give you the steady income you need to invest into your idea. And even if your side hustle isn’t immediately profitable, you have money to pay your rent.

3. Earn more to spend and invest

Money isn’t everything. But, financial freedom and the ability to live life on your own terms is worth striving for. We’d all rather thrive than merely survive.

Imagine no longer having to live paycheck to paycheck. Think about how amazing you would feel if you were debt free. And that trip to Paris on your bucket list – envision yourself there.

I’m not saying you should blow your side hustle income on lavish vacations right away. Reinvest that money into your side hustle to generate more future revenue.

For example, if you earn $500 each week from your side hustle, you could use that that money to run Facebook ads that convert leads into customers. More customers for your side hustle means you can grow a full fledged business and become a full-time entrepreneur down the road.

4. Prove you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur

If being an entrepreneur was easy, no one would work their 9-5 job. Starting and running a business takes grit, persistence, and an enormous amount of patience.

Side hustling isn’t any easier (they don’t call it a hustle for nothing). As a side hustler, you put in 8 or more hours of work at your day job, and spend mornings, evenings, and even weekends building your side hustle.

If you are serious about eventually becoming an entrepreneur, you need to start with a side hustle. When you work crazy hours, push through startup burnout, and remain laser focused on your vision, you will prove to yourself that you have what it takes to become an entrepreneur.

5. Live the life you have always wanted

Have you ever thought to yourself: “There has got to be more to life than the 9-5 job?!” I know I have considered this many, many times.

If you have always envisioned yourself as someone meant to achieve something remarkable, noteworthy, and impactful, you need a side hustle. A 9-5 job will never be enough to fulfill you. It won’t unleash your true potential and unlock your unique contribution to the world.

If you cannot take the immediate risk and become a full-time entrepreneur tomorrow, a side hustle will give you the opportunity to build the foundation for your legacy now. A side hustle could very well lead to unimaginable success. Best of all you may even make more money from your side hustle than your day job.

Final thoughts

You need a side hustle. It will give you the ability to create something for yourself and for your future. You deserve to live the life you have always wanted, and a side hustle can be the stepping stone to opportunities you didn’t even know existed.

This article has been edited.

Chelsea Spinos is a Marketing Strategist for Yahoo and a “side hustler”. She helps other ambitious side hustlers and entrepreneurs build the business and life that they have always wanted. She is committed to helping others put action behind their ambitions and create authentic brands that are both impactful and profitable. Chelsea provides her audience with tons of marketing resources to help them remain on the forefront of industry shifts and consumer trends, so that they can edge out their competition and thrive. Connect with @chelseaspinos on Twitter.

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