Ask HN: Am I afraid of making money?
5 comments
To a lot of people money is the end all be all and to me that doesn't make sense. Obviously more money is usually better than less money but money isn't everything. Often times people will conflate money with additional happiness and you only need to look at lottery winners to see that is not the case.
Money will never make anyone more happy but it does have the power to buy you freedom to do things. So you have to ask yourself what additional freedoms would additional money get you that you don't have now. Because if the focus is only to earn money that is a vain goal.
My impression of reading your post is that your version of happiness and freedom is achieved through bettering yourself. It is completely possible that you could leverage your knowledge and skills and abilities to maximize your income but what is your goal to use that income for.
Some people like to amass wealth to pass on to their children as a form of legacy. Some people want to amass wealth because they plan on using it later in life. Some people want to get rich simply for the attention that it brings them and the ego they can associate with the wealth. It's up to you to decide your goals and if wealth can help you achieve those goals both short and long-term. That will determine ultimately if you should focus more on increasing your earning power and potential or if you should continue your current path.
One thing to consider is that there are people who chase after maximizing wealth and never achieve it. So ultimately that was a failure for them because they lost opportunities for enjoyment for chasing something they could never achieve. There are also those who chase it and do achieve it but when they have it if they don't already know what they would have done when they didn't have it they've not improved their life at all. If your goal is primarily making yourself better and more satisfied as a person the best way to get wealth is just to do what you're currently doing. Explore the podcast idea or other ideas without the primary focus of maximizing income through it. Do it because you want to do it and you love to do it. If you're good at it and others think you're good at it wealth will come from it and I believe it will be infinitely more satisfying for you that way. Because now you will have achieved wealth doing what you love and that wealth will allow you to explore things you couldn't otherwise do but you also won't be afraid of losing the wealth. Because ultimately your goal is to do what you love as opposed to amassing wealth that you either have to spend before you die or leave to other people.
Money will never make anyone more happy but it does have the power to buy you freedom to do things. So you have to ask yourself what additional freedoms would additional money get you that you don't have now. Because if the focus is only to earn money that is a vain goal.
My impression of reading your post is that your version of happiness and freedom is achieved through bettering yourself. It is completely possible that you could leverage your knowledge and skills and abilities to maximize your income but what is your goal to use that income for.
Some people like to amass wealth to pass on to their children as a form of legacy. Some people want to amass wealth because they plan on using it later in life. Some people want to get rich simply for the attention that it brings them and the ego they can associate with the wealth. It's up to you to decide your goals and if wealth can help you achieve those goals both short and long-term. That will determine ultimately if you should focus more on increasing your earning power and potential or if you should continue your current path.
One thing to consider is that there are people who chase after maximizing wealth and never achieve it. So ultimately that was a failure for them because they lost opportunities for enjoyment for chasing something they could never achieve. There are also those who chase it and do achieve it but when they have it if they don't already know what they would have done when they didn't have it they've not improved their life at all. If your goal is primarily making yourself better and more satisfied as a person the best way to get wealth is just to do what you're currently doing. Explore the podcast idea or other ideas without the primary focus of maximizing income through it. Do it because you want to do it and you love to do it. If you're good at it and others think you're good at it wealth will come from it and I believe it will be infinitely more satisfying for you that way. Because now you will have achieved wealth doing what you love and that wealth will allow you to explore things you couldn't otherwise do but you also won't be afraid of losing the wealth. Because ultimately your goal is to do what you love as opposed to amassing wealth that you either have to spend before you die or leave to other people.
Money really isn't everything. It buys you a better class of enemy, according to Spike Milligan.
If what you want is the freedom to be creative and do your own thing and that can also make some money for you, which means you'll be comfortable later, then good.
I do lots of stuff for zero. Some of it then pays off in unexpected ways.
(People who seem obsessed with money for its own sake, and I worked with some in finance over the years for example, seem least happy.)
If what you want is the freedom to be creative and do your own thing and that can also make some money for you, which means you'll be comfortable later, then good.
I do lots of stuff for zero. Some of it then pays off in unexpected ways.
(People who seem obsessed with money for its own sake, and I worked with some in finance over the years for example, seem least happy.)
I sat down on a couch in his living room and he pointed a tripod and a camera at me, and he would present topics or questions for me to talk about. It was a really interesting exercise because unlike say a normal conversation, I had to be laser-focused on a topic without digressing, speak rhythmically without stop words and stay maximally coherent.
At the end, I thought to myself that it was actually quite fun doing something like this and that it wasn't as hard as I expected. Maybe a bit more confidence to stare at the camera and some preparation with topics and structure would complete the package.
Then came a question that was obvious to everyone except me. He asked, "how are you going to make money off of it?". Oddly enough, throughout the whole exercise, not even the concept of a penny entered my mind. When I verbalized this, it dawned onto him as if it was obviously intuitive: "You're afraid of making money." I never had something click so hard in my brain like that.
I have several side projects that I consider successful like my blog with thousands of daily visitors, my curated ROM collection which fills my inbox with thank you emails every week, an online radio station and a decently big social club.
However, when I brag about this, most people will immediately ask me how much money I'm making off of those. My answer is always zero. For some reason, it's a tough concept for them to grasp. Why would anyone do all that work for free?
Personally, I enjoy setting goals for myself and engaging in goal-directed activities. Achieving my goals usually is fulfilling enough for me and provides the inertia to keep the project active. I tend to call these activities 'passion projects'.
I'm starting to do more and more, and realizing that I can't hold a 9-5 full-time job and work on all of these ideas at the same time. So somehow, I have to make money on these side projects. Despite being single and having only the responsibilities of managing a small apartment, a pet and an average job, I still feel like the burnout is on its way.
Right now, I'm starting work on my first book, where I won't reveal the topic, but it's essentially a parody. I've shared the synopsis with some friends and family and it sent them into hysterical laughter. For the first time, I'm thinking to myself that I should actually sell this book. However, my expectations are low believing that I'll only sell a few dozen copies before being forgotten.
I feel so hesitant about all of this and my only source of income right now is my day job. I'm starting to realize that I'm really good at evading the money question and in fact removing it completely as a concern.
So, am I setting a trap for myself and a hill to fall down from? Am I being delusional in some way? Is money essential for me to keep going expanding these projects of mine? What about burnout?