Side projects have kept me going through a lot of my life. Even as a little kid, I was always working on something in my spare time that I was interested in. In the early days, I didn't make any money off any of them; they were purely for fun. Some of then were based on needs - I needed transportation, so I built a go kart. Things like that gave me the incentive I needed. As I got older, my side hustles and projects obviously turned toward money making ventures. This was the new problem to be solved - not having enough money.
I can never be unemployed
If for some reason I find myself without a job or without the ability to get a job, I can just go back to working on my side projects. If anyone asks, I can just say I'm doing this, or I'm working on that, and it's become a business for me. Not all businesses are profitable so I don't have to worry about that. Sometimes it's about perception - if work up one day and didn't have a job, it's embarrassing to say I'm unemployed. That kind of sounds like I failed in some way. But if I say, "I got laid off, so I'm going back to work for myself again on such and such project".
Success at something is important
Once you are an adult, succeeding at anything becomes much more difficult. No script, not manual, no instruction set will help you in life, and a lot of things depend on just being in the right spot at the right time. You might get this job and get success, or you might not. It's not totally dependent on you, and anytime you have to rely on chance, other people, or factors beyond your control, success is never guaranteed.
But if you have a side project, and you know how to do it, then you can't fail. Nobody is going to come into your house and tell you that you can't do that anymore. It's just about you working on something, devoting time and effort, and bringing it to completion. Having that control over something you are trying to accomplish gives you a lot of confidence. You're not waiting on someone for this, or you have to get approval from this guy - it's just you making things happen.
The payouts can be big
If you ever want to really make big bucks, you have to work for yourself. Being a wage earner can pay the bills and let you have some tidbit leftovers, but unless you're CEO of some fortune 500 company, it's a losers game.
Let's say you make one hundred thousand a year take home pay, so in thirty years of doing that you will have three million if you don't spend any of it. If you invest, it's obviously going to grow, but you get my point.
If you own your own company, you can make that three million dollars in one year. Did you hear that? You can make thirty years worth of slavery to the man in one year. And this is not unheard of or difficult. A really successful small business can easily net three million for the owner in one year.
Most businesses start as side projects
The typical story of a guy in his garage making something and selling it is true store for most businesses. So many of them start out like that. But here's the thing: you don't have to start the next amazon, you don't even have to start the next medium sized business. As long as it works for you; that's all you need to worry about. Even if you want to turn it into a business and it only makes twenty thousand dollars a month, that's more than what most people make at their jobs. It'll be enough for you.
If it never makes a penny, you can still say you did something hard. And that's more than 99 percent do.