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Let Your Past Fund Your Future

"Gee, if I had to do it all over again, I'd rather be..."

That's one of the most common phrases I hear when I tell people the premise behind Nifty Business Ideas-How to make money doing something you love. Most folks get a far away look in their eyes, then with a pang of regret that comes from age, experience and hindsight, they tell me precisely what field they would have gone in to if they had to do it all over again.

More often then not, it has nothing to do with how they earn their living now.

Many times, it's a sport or a musical instrument. Sometimes it's an activity like dancing, acting, or speaking a foreign language. Occasionally it's a hobby that they picked up early on.

In short, it's something they enjoyed, practiced endlessly and were good at in school...that they were then discouraged from pursing by well meaning friends and family.

  • "Do you know what it takes to make it in pro sports?"

  • "There's no money in music!"

  • "And when you get injured, THEN what?"

  • "Don't be ridiculous! The men in our family have always done..."

  • "Trust me, I know what's best for you."

Now I'm not trying to cause trouble here because I know this is a sore spot for some of you. In fact, it's a sore spot for a lot of people, myself included.

We've all had our dreams laughed at and trampled on at one time, occasionally with merit.

What I'm trying to do is get you to think back to those things you once enjoyed and scrutinize them as possible ways to make money now. After all, you've already spent countless hours learning whatever it is...why not put it to good use?

Now I know some of you are snickering at the thought.

You may have played football or ice skated in the 1970's, for example, but wouldn't be caught dead on the field or on the ice now. Perhaps you "tickled the ivories" or played the trombone once upon a time, but now you're a certified member of the the "all thumbs" brigade.

So what? Who says you have to participate in precisely the same way you once did in order for all those hours to pay off? You already know the lingo...put it to work for you.

Depending on your knowledge, expertise, and interests, you could:

  • Coach or teach

  • Write and sell a "how to" report filled with insider secrets

  • Create and sell a video tape demonstrating special techniques

  • Put up a web site dedicated to the topic and sell products like books, videos, sports equipment, or memorabilia via affiliate links

  • Buy, sell, or broker collectible items

  • Write and sell a "Where Are They Now?" report

  • Etc., etc.

There are lots of ways to turn your knowledge into cash without playing the game or the instrument. You don't have to become a professional basketball player to sell books about professional basketball players. You don't have to play the piano to sell sheet music. And you don't have to act on stage to sell old movie scripts.

See how simple this is? There's no need to re-invent the wheel. Just think about the stuff you liked to do once upon a time, before you became consumed with things like mortgages and car payments and your daughter's crooked teeth.

Pull out your yearbooks and take a stroll down memory lane. Look at the sports you played or the clubs you were involved with. Think about how much you enjoyed yourself.

Then think about ways to turn that interest into cash.

Once you've got an idea, test it. Re-immerse yourself in the subject that once gave you so many hours of joy. See if still "yanks your chain" and if so, move forward. You may start to feel like a kid again.

And if it turns into a profitable venture, so much the better. After all, wouldn't it be fun to be a teenager again...only this time with money?

It's certainly worth a try. And who knows? You might even get to prove your long ago "nay sayers" wrong...

Good luck!

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