2 harsh truths I’d tell my younger self about online money dreams
Once you reach midlife, you really start to notice how much your perception of time changes as you age.
And you also come to realize just how detrimental that shifting perception of time can be when trying to build a business.
Think about it: when you were a child, a day felt like a week.
In the lead-up to an especially fun event — a birthday, Christmas, Halloween — every moment seemed to be an eternity.
Maybe it’s because you’re a different kind of “busy” when you’re a kid.
Like, you have a lot you want to do — play video games, play soccer, play outside, eat ice cream — but you aren’t facing any deadlines or consequences beyond bedtime.
Maybe it’s because, with so few years behind us, we have no reference for how long something should feel.
When you’re 12, for example, the 4 years until you can drive a car seems like a lifetime away because, well, it does represent a full third of your life to that point.
Whatever the reason, this idea that time moves slowly carries into your 20s where, in my opinion, it becomes THE main reason some people either massively delay accomplishing their goals (guilty), or never reach them at all.
And there’s a second side to that double-edged sword, too.
Allow me to explain.
The myth of ‘I have lots of time’
When you’re in your early 20s, it’s easy to fall into the trap of “Ah, this can wait, I have lots of time.”
And, again, it does feel like you have lots of time when you’re that age.
When I was in my early 20s, my parents were in their mid-40s, and your parents’ age always seems like a lifetime away, doesn’t it?
Well, I’m now approaching my mid-40s, and I’ll tell you youngins’ something — it sneaks up on you faster than you think.
Time picked up gradually as I advanced through my early-to-mid 20s, but after we had our first son (I was 29), it hit the afterburners.
Your life starts to move at a frenetic pace that you couldn’t possibly fathom beforehand.
Suddenly, every second of your day is accounted for and the responsibilities heaped upon you feel 10x heavier.
So the first harsh truth I would tell my younger, entrepreneurial self is: you don’t have as much time as you think.
Especially if you’re planning to have kids.
The “little kid phase” of life eats up 10 years, and when you stumble out of it, dazed and tired, you realize that a full decade of your life as an individual disappeared in what felt like the blink of an eye.
If you’re a young person who’s planning to start a business — whether it’s a content empire like mine or a heating and cooling shop — don’t wait.
Start pushing now.
The myth of overnight success
This one tripped me up big time.
Again, in your 20s, a year feels like a long time (and you’re typically impatient to make things happen).
The problem is that your expectations are completely detached from reality because you have no frame of reference.
I’m very fond of this saying from the late, blockbuster bestselling author Tom Clancy: “An overnight success is 10 years in the making.”
Put another way, consider the advice of many a legitimate content creator on this site, YouTube, and elsewhere who all reveal the same typical timeline for notable success online: it will take you 2–5 years minimum.
I made $20,000+ in my first year of writing online and I consider even that to be an anomaly.
So the second harsh truth I’d tell my younger, entrepreneurial self is: A week, a month, a year — it isn’t as long as you think.
Stop expecting to be flooded with views and engagement on everything you produce in your first two weeks.
Stop expecting to be awash in cash your first month in business.
And most importantly: DON’T QUIT BECAUSE YOU’RE DISCOURAGED YOU DIDN’T MEET THOSE EXPECTATIONS.
They weren’t realistic to begin with!
I can’t even count the number of times I tried to start a business and then quit within 2 months because it wasn’t producing $10,000 per month in revenue right off the bat.
Yes, there are a million videos out there telling you how to make $8,000 THIS WEEK with one SIMPLE TRICK.
When a year is a long time in your mind, you lead yourself to believe that it’s realistic to build a business and become a millionaire within a year.
Instead of putting your dreams on a punishing timer and tracking your stats every second of the day, try this instead: just do the work.
If you learn to embrace process instead of fixating on milestones, you may actually have a chance to achieve the life and the business you want.
Publish Every Day progress update: Day 39
I’m trying to see if I can make enough money to retire from commuter life within a year by publishing every single day on different platforms and investing my earnings into passive income vehicles.
How much I need to retire: $250 CAD per day
What I earned on Day 37: $53.49 (writing) + $1.72 (YouTube) = $55.21 total
What I’ve published in the last day:
My top 5 trending stories:
Star singer Adele revealed a MASSIVE challenge after you quit alcohol
The real truth of making big money writing online (they’re lying to you)
3 super healthy habits that keep Victoria Beckham fit as hell at 49
The 1 main reason most people fail to make big money writing online
Why I’m writing like crazy now to bank big later (money update)