The sneakiest way your online writing big money dreams die
Being at the office the other day was a good reminder of what I don’t want the rest of my life to look like.
From sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic to walking down the street with the other office drones in the early-morning darkness to spending my day trapped in a cube … it all made me a bit mad.
All I’ve ever wanted is to work for myself.
I crave the autonomy. I resent answering to others.
That’s just who I am.
At first, however, I was like, “Calm down buddy, you should be thankful you have a job. You should be happy to have an office to drive to and a steady paycheque.”
But you know what?
I decided instead to embrace my discomfort.
Anger was a good feeling in this spot.
Because the alternative would ensure the quick death of my online money dreams and the cherished autonomy that would come from working on my own business full-time.
And what, pray tell, is this dark alternative to the anger I was feeling?
Who is this sneaky assassin of ambitious online writing dreams?
The dream killer
As I looked around at the others shuffling through the dark toward their own office towers, all I saw was resignation.
I could tell they didn’t feel sad.
Or mad.
They felt nothing at all.
This is what happens to most people, and it’s the worst trap there is.
It’s the worst trap because it’s so comfortable. It’s a gilded cage.
It’s comfortable making just enough money to get by.
It’s comfortable being told what to do and not having to think too much for, or be accountable to, just yourself.
It’s comfortable to spend free time watching Netflix instead of grinding to build something on the side.
It’s comfortable avoiding risk.
It’s comfortable to surrender.
To be average.
To be normal.
The dream assassin is resignation.
You get just comfortable enough to let your dreams quietly die.
And then one day, when you have more years behind you than you have ahead of you, you wake up, look in the mirror, and think: “Oh no, what have I done?”
Another way
I’m a stubborn person.
I’ve tried and failed to start a successful business many times in the past.
And there have been dark periods where I said to myself, “Ah, this isn’t so bad. Sure I’m constantly worried about money and I’m unfulfilled as an individual, but it could be worse.”
Sure, things could always be worse.
But things could also always be better.
That’s what I hang onto. The emotion of that. The drive behind that.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re 20 or 60 — if you resign mentally to a “normal” life, you lose by default.
I think there’s always something to strive for.
I look at the people shuffling around in the early-morning darkness and ask: is that where I want to be in 10 years?
Nah.
I’d rather be uncomfortable and hopeful than comfortable and dead inside.
Publish Every Day project update: Day 25
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 25: $114.97 (writing) + $1.29 (YouTube) = $116.26 total
What I’ve published the past 2 days:
This post revealing the real, harsh truth about making big money online
This article about how much I made my first day monetized on YouTube
A piece on a 72-year-old football legend who looks much younger thanks to quitting alcohol
This tweet:
My top 5 trending stories:
Star singer Adele revealed a massive challenge after you quit alcohol
3 super healthy habits that keep Victoria Beckham fit as hell at 49
The real truth of making big money writing online (they’re lying)
Wow, YouTube just slashed its monetization requirement in half
Thanks for reading — have a wonderful day!
I think you have to hate a job enough to make you do something else, overcome fear, quit, and start something new.
Or you have to love something else so much it demands your time.