Why the Best Time to Create More Choices Is During the School Year
By Jodi Smith
Every August, I have mixed emotions.
As a teacher, I genuinely love what I do. I enjoy setting up my classroom, meeting a new group of students, and watching them grow throughout the year. Teaching is more than a job to me—it’s a career that has brought purpose and joy to my life.
But if I’m being honest, there’s always a small part of me that’s a little sad to see summer come to an end.
Not because I don’t love teaching.
Because summer reminds me how much I value having time with my family, traveling, writing, and simply having the freedom to slow down for a while.
This year feels different.
Not because I’ve reached all of my financial goals.
I haven’t.
But because, for the first time, I know I’m building something that can create more choices for my future.
And that feeling has changed the way I look at going back to school.
The Myth I Believed
For years, I thought creating extra income meant getting another job.
More hours.
More evenings.
More weekends.
As teachers, that’s often what we’re told.
Tutor after school.
Teach summer school.
Get a second job.
Those are all respectable ways to earn more income.
But eventually I realized something.
Maybe the answer wasn’t working more.
Maybe the answer was learning something new.
That simple shift in perspective changed everything.
The Best Time to Build Your Future Isn’t Next Summer
I think many of us tell ourselves the same story.
“I’ll work on that next summer.”
I know I did.
But what if the best time to start creating next summer isn’t next June?
What if it’s this fall?
Not by working another job after school.
But by investing a little time each week learning a new skill.
One hour here.
A couple of hours there.
Small, consistent steps.
Because here’s what I’ve learned over the years:
The life you want next summer is built during this school year.
Learning Created More Choices
I’ve been looking for ways to earn income outside of my paycheck for more than twenty years.
Along the way, I tried a lot of different things.
Some worked.
Some didn’t.
But every experience taught me something valuable.
Today, I earn income through multiple online streams while continuing to teach full-time.
I still love teaching.
In fact, I appreciate it even more because I’m working toward a future where I continue teaching because I choose to—not because I have to.
To me, that’s what financial freedom really means.
Not becoming rich.
Creating more choices.
What If Your Story Looked Different Next Summer?
Imagine where you could be one year from now.
Not because you worked yourself into exhaustion.
But because you consistently invested in learning.
Maybe you’ve built an extra income stream.
Maybe you’ve paid off more debt.
Maybe you’ve added to your retirement savings.
Maybe you’re planning a family vacation without the same financial stress.
Maybe you’re simply feeling more hopeful because you know you’re building something for your future.
None of those things happen overnight.
But they all begin with one decision:
To start.
You Don’t Have to Quit the Career You Love
One thing I always want teachers to know is this:
My goal isn’t to convince you to leave the classroom.
I still love teaching.
My hope is simply that one day you have the freedom to choose.
To teach because you love it.
To retire when you’re ready.
To visit family without worrying so much about the budget.
To enjoy your summers knowing you’re building a future with more possibilities than you had before.
Start With One Skill
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past twenty years, it’s this:
You don’t have to have everything figured out before you begin.
You don’t need the perfect business.
You don’t need endless free time.
You don’t need to know exactly where you’ll end up.
You simply need to be willing to learn one new skill.
One skill has a way of leading to another.
And over time, those small steps can completely change what’s possible for your future.
I’d Love to Help You Get Started
If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to create extra income while keeping the stability of your full-time job, I’d love to invite you to my FREE live webinar every Wednesday evening.
I’ll walk you through affiliate and digital marketing step by step, answer your questions, and share what I’ve learned after years of building multiple online income streams while continuing to teach.
Whether this path is right for you or not, my hope is that you’ll leave believing one thing:
It’s never too late to learn something new.
👉 Reserve your free seat here:
Webinar Link
🌿 Jodi’s Encouragement
As teachers, we spend every day encouraging our students to learn, grow, and believe in themselves.
Maybe this school year is an opportunity to extend that same encouragement to yourself.
Don’t wait until next summer to begin building the future you hope for.
Start with one new skill.
One small step.
One hour at a time.
You never know where it might lead.
Cheering you on,
Jodi