Monday, 21 March 2011

The truth about making money...

It's worth mentioning (in case you hadn't realised) that although the Internet is always banging on about making money, maximising profits and working your mailing lists blah blah blah..., life is not ALL about money. In fact the truth is that, those who are focusing JUST on making money, will probably fall by the wayside fairly early on in the adventure.
The reality is that it is a LOT easier to make money with a regular job then it is to make money online, and if you pour the required level of energy into online projects, you may forget to actually have a life.
It pays every so often just to take a look at the 'cost' of online earnings, and if family life is suffering, or your health, then the real cost of making a few extra dollars may be too high. This is why I am always looking for passive income that can be left to build itself, although even passive income can be high maintenance at the start.
'Success' is illusory, as is 'failure' - both of these terms are relative rather than absolute. In fact I would go as far to say that success means nothing without failure. I heard a story about a famous Hollywood star who was addressing graduates of an expensive educational establishment. It was acknowledged that these privileged individuals were bound for 'success' because of their background as long as they put a little effort in. However, the point was also made that there is a difference between 'success' and making a positive impact on the world. From one who has demonstrable 'success' in worldly terms, it is poignant that 'positivity' is now regarded (at least by this ONE successful individual) as being far more valuable.
This is true of almost anyone who has apparently 'made it' and explains why there are so many troubled (but apparently successful) souls out there. I firmly believe that the Internet is a good for making money, but I also believe that there are plenty of things that are far more important.

2 comments:

Rachel said...

Great point made! I work on line, not because I think it will make me a fortune, but because it allows me to be at home and therefore be there for my family. I can do the school run and be at home if a boy is unwell. My on line endeavours has taught me a lot and I have made a nice amount of 'pocket money' over the years and also learnt a lot and had fun.

jay said...

I always use you as my bench-mark for online earners. You have demonstrated that it is possible to make decent money this way - but as you say, you do this NOT to make your fortune, but because it suits you to work that way. Using the philosophy I have alluded to in the article, you are in a win-win situation. You can make a decent income from online writing, and at the same time be there for your children whenever they need you. You can drop the 'job' and give your attention to what really matters - there are not many work situations that would allow that to happen. Hence you are able to give priority to the 'important' things in life whilst still making money.