Are You Trading Your Soul for a Paycheck? (Blog)

[Erin Pavlina]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Erin Pavlina's blog:

Are You Trading Your Soul for a Paycheck?

[elucidate]

Thankyou Erin. This was so relevant for me right now.

I've been so angry and feeling dissatisfied with the job I'm doing to pay bills. It helped me to get back on track with financial independence for a while, but it's been slowly killing me for a while now...so your article has inspired me to take the plunge, which I already kinda am by living with a woman who has said I can use her massage room, which is what I wanted to do years ago and be self-employed, as well as give readings in the park, and work on art projects. I've sent out business cards, but it's slow to take off right now.

I know I can do all these things, I've just been putting it off. I don't know that quitting right now is the wisest thing to do, as that will land me on the street, before anyone has called for a massage yet, and this is a good opportunity to really get some experience, by learning from my housemate, who also teaches EFT.

It takes time to build up clients, especially when you are first starting out, which I'm sure you know.

I liked the suggestions you gave for igniting your passions, that helped a lot.

[James81]

I'm teetering right at the edge where I feel like the end of the job I'm in is in sight. I've just been hanging out waiting to make that final decision until I hear from the program I've applied for as to whether I got accepted. If I get accepted, I'll drop down very soon to part time and eventually decide a day to leave. The nature of my job is such that while I *could* leave in two weeks, I'd be leaving them in a pinch by doing so. I'm training another guy for my job, and he's not quite ready to be *the* designer yet. But I could see me hanging around in a reduced capacity to help 'em out for a little while.

I'm in the mindset now to start building passive income streams where I can. Even if it takes 5 or 10 years for those to become substantial enough where I don't *have* to work, I figure it's better than doing nothing at all. If I don't get into the program I applied for, I can see me ramping all my energy towards building those passive income streams.

[tamrajo]

Great article- BUT, I have to disagree. For a full year I spent time doing what I love- sewing, and trying to sell my goods. At first it was great! I would shop for fabulous fabric, come up with awesome ideas (mostly baby related items such as slings, bibs, nursing covers, etc..) then execute and work on perfecting my ideas. Then, it became work. It took work to market myself- which gave me anxiety, it became work when I had to manufacture the same item over and over again (instead of working on the creative part that I loved), and finally, it was very frustrating because although I was fairly successful, I wasn’t making very much money. I was actually creating a huge debt.

Long story short- doing what I loved for a job made me less happy than I am now. Currently I have a corporate job. It’s a fairly good job and I feel lucky to have it, but I definitely don’t LOVE it. But- I make much more money now than I have ever made and it is because of that money that my family and I are able to live comfortably. We are able to do things like travel, have a nice home and eat great food. All things we couldn’t do when I was sewing for my job.

Maybe I’m missing something here, but I feel like I’ve done both. At the moment I AM trading my sole for a paycheck – and I realize that, but I feel that it’s better than the alternative. Any misery I am experiencing now is much less than the misery I was experiencing doing what I love.

[elucidate]

Interesting reply.

I've often wondered if this would be the case too. I don't think I could work a corporate job though...that would kill me. Of course you have to spend money to start a business...and most business owners will tell you they have no life to speak of and everything goes into the business, it's 24 hours a day...which doesn't sound all that fun to me.

I suppose if you are working in the sort of job which helps people, and you find that constantly satisfying then it's not a problem. Obviously Erin isn't sick of doing what she loves best, so I guess it just depends on the person and their chosen field and what it entails. Some careers are more intensive labor than others.

I definitely enjoy making enough money to eat great food and do what I want, though I didn't really think I'd end up back in a normal job. I think it was what I needed at the time, and I want to have a go at perhaps doing both, as I only work 2.5 days a week. That gives me plenty of time to also work on my other projects, and finish studying the ESL course I am still taking.

It's definitely good to have regular money coming in, and I know that isn't always the case when you have your own business...at least not for the first couple of years. In the meantime, I'd rather not struggle like I did in my twenties being poor.

A good balance of both would be ideal, at least until I start making regular income with massage and readings.

Originally Posted by tamrajo

Great article- BUT, I have to disagree. For a full year I spent time doing what I love- sewing, and trying to sell my goods. At first it was great! I would shop for fabulous fabric, come up with awesome ideas (mostly baby related items such as slings, bibs, nursing covers, etc..) then execute and work on perfecting my ideas. Then, it became work. It took work to market myself- which gave me anxiety, it became work when I had to manufacture the same item over and over again (instead of working on the creative part that I loved), and finally, it was very frustrating because although I was fairly successful, I wasn’t making very much money. I was actually creating a huge debt.

Long story short- doing what I loved for a job made me less happy than I am now. Currently I have a corporate job. It’s a fairly good job and I feel lucky to have it, but I definitely don’t LOVE it. But- I make much more money now than I have ever made and it is because of that money that my family and I are able to live comfortably. We are able to do things like travel, have a nice home and eat great food. All things we couldn’t do when I was sewing for my job.

Maybe I’m missing something here, but I feel like I’ve done both. At the moment I AM trading my sole for a paycheck – and I realize that, but I feel that it’s better than the alternative. Any misery I am experiencing now is much less than the misery I was experiencing doing what I love.

[Harmonium]

Instead I encounter people in my readings who do what they’re good at so they can earn money so they can do what they love on evenings and weekends. This path leads to dissatisfaction, unhappiness, and dread. It sometimes leads to anxiety, anger, and health problems.

Hmm. Sounds kind of like what I'm doing, except I do freelance programming because I've always found programming mildly interesting and have been decent at it, but my true passion is in music, but that's much harder to make money with.

Do you think it's unwise to split your attention like that ALWAYS? my freelance work isn't much of an obligation because I have no single boss.

[James81]

Originally Posted by elucidate

Interesting reply.

I've often wondered if this would be the case too. I don't think I could work a corporate job though...that would kill me. Of course you have to spend money to start a business...and most business owners will tell you they have no life to speak of and everything goes into the business, it's 24 hours a day...which doesn't sound all that fun to me.

I suppose if you are working in the sort of job which helps people, and you find that constantly satisfying then it's not a problem. Obviously Erin isn't sick of doing what she loves best, so I guess it just depends on the person and their chosen field and what it entails. Some careers are more intensive labor than others.

I definitely enjoy making enough money to eat great food and do what I want, though I didn't really think I'd end up back in a normal job. I think it was what I needed at the time, and I want to have a go at perhaps doing both, as I only work 2.5 days a week. That gives me plenty of time to also work on my other projects, and finish studying the ESL course I am still taking.

It's definitely good to have regular money coming in, and I know that isn't always the case when you have your own business...at least not for the first couple of years. In the meantime, I'd rather not struggle like I did in my twenties being poor.

A good balance of both would be ideal, at least until I start making regular income with massage and readings.

Yeah, the whole "make my hobby into work" thing never panned out well for me either. For me, I always enjoyed writing, but anytime I'd think about making that my full time career, it suddenly became less enjoyable for me.

To me, the idea revolves around separating two concepts that we usually conflate into one:

1. Making money to meet our needs/wants
2. Doing work that we love

We tend to limit ourselves into thinking that we HAVE to find work or ways to bring in money that relate to what we love to do.

However, I'm starting to realize that the two need not be connected to each other. In reality, if I find ways to realistically and time-effectively bring in the money that meets my needs/wants, I can spend the other time doing what I love.

For me, this looks like taking the time NOW, and devoting a considerable amount of time/energy into establishing passive income streams. This means building websites, investing, etc. My goal is to create as many passive income sources as I can to meet my most basic wants/needs, and then to do work I love in the way that I want to do it (without being overly conscious about how successful it is).

In other words, I might puruse avenues that aren't necessarily my extreme passions (such as a website about test-taking resources for example ), but are related to my passions in a way that I can still find enjoyment in creating them (knowing that the value I offer there can potentially be something that millions of people can benefit from) and find ways to make those things bring me money on a consistent basis...when the income from those sources reaches the income that meets the needs/wants/obligations, I will consider myself "retired" in terms of worrying about monetary needs and devote more of my time/energy onto my passions.

I kinda consider this to be a "deferred gratification" type of thing. Front-load a lot of time/energy towards things that become self-sustainable and reach a point where I can divert my time/energy away from the idea of making money to survive and onto what I truly love to do.

My current timeframe for that is 5 years.

Another way to do this "deferred gratification" thing might involve finding seasonal work that you can spread out over an entire year. One such example is construction work. Another example is teaching. In other words, "chunking" your time.

[Erin Pavlina]

Originally Posted by tamrajo

Great article- BUT, I have to disagree. For a full year I spent time doing what I love- sewing, and trying to sell my goods. At first it was great! I would shop for fabulous fabric, come up with awesome ideas (mostly baby related items such as slings, bibs, nursing covers, etc..) then execute and work on perfecting my ideas. Then, it became work. It took work to market myself- which gave me anxiety, it became work when I had to manufacture the same item over and over again (instead of working on the creative part that I loved), and finally, it was very frustrating because although I was fairly successful, I wasn’t making very much money. I was actually creating a huge debt.

Long story short- doing what I loved for a job made me less happy than I am now. Currently I have a corporate job. It’s a fairly good job and I feel lucky to have it, but I definitely don’t LOVE it. But- I make much more money now than I have ever made and it is because of that money that my family and I are able to live comfortably. We are able to do things like travel, have a nice home and eat great food. All things we couldn’t do when I was sewing for my job.

Maybe I’m missing something here, but I feel like I’ve done both. At the moment I AM trading my sole for a paycheck – and I realize that, but I feel that it’s better than the alternative. Any misery I am experiencing now is much less than the misery I was experiencing doing what I love.

What a great question to illustrate some key points. Thanks for bringing this up.

So let's look at what happened here. You love sewing so you started making items you loved making and you wanted to sell them. No problem there. Then you started marketing and getting involved in selling. No love there. So the system broke down. You didn't fail at doing what you love. You failed at doing what you didn't love, (sales and marketing).

The solution is simple. Outsource your sales and marketing and the business end of things. You could partner with someone who has no sewing talent at all but loves sales and marketing. By working together you can create a single company that thrives.

Alternatively, you could look at this way. You could find a different way to express your love of sewing. You could start a magazine about sewing, you could teach young people how to sew, you could do work for a store that needs items so you are only sewing, not selling. Etc.

When I was trying to determine what I wanted to do, what I love, what came up was the paranormal and helping people. Two things I love love love. So I ended up as an intuitive counselor. I could just as easily started a magazine, become a coach, taught intuition courses, written a fiction novel, written a non-fiction novel, become a parapsychologist .... all related to the paranormal. I picked the vehicle that works best for me.

I don't like sales and marketing either, so I outsource when I can, or do trades with people.

I say give further thought to how you might do what you love and get paid for it.

When steve ran dexterity software he eventually started publishing other people's games. These companies were then able to do the part they loved (game creation) and leave selling and marketing to STeve.

[Le Roi]

Having being unemployed for 11 months now, I was inspired by this post to write a post called "The Joy of Unemployment". I'll post it later on the forum, but writing it brought tears to my eye.

Unemployment and not receiving an income as you transition in your life to doing something you love does not have to be feared, and it can end up being one of the most wonderful experience of your life. It sure has being the case for me.

[Angelique]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

What a great question to illustrate some key points. Thanks for bringing this up.

So let's look at what happened here. You love sewing so you started making items you loved making and you wanted to sell them. No problem there. Then you started marketing and getting involved in selling. No love there. So the system broke down. You didn't fail at doing what you love. You failed at doing what you didn't love, (sales and marketing).

The solution is simple. Outsource your sales and marketing and the business end of things. You could partner with someone who has no sewing talent at all but loves sales and marketing. By working together you can create a single company that thrives.

Alternatively, you could look at this way. You could find a different way to express your love of sewing. You could start a magazine about sewing, you could teach young people how to sew, you could do work for a store that needs items so you are only sewing, not selling. Etc.

When I was trying to determine what I wanted to do, what I love, what came up was the paranormal and helping people. Two things I love love love. So I ended up as an intuitive counselor. I could just as easily started a magazine, become a coach, taught intuition courses, written a fiction novel, written a non-fiction novel, become a parapsychologist .... all related to the paranormal. I picked the vehicle that works best for me.

I don't like sales and marketing either, so I outsource when I can, or do trades with people.

I say give further thought to how you might do what you love and get paid for it.

When steve ran dexterity software he eventually started publishing other people's games. These companies were then able to do the part they loved (game creation) and leave selling and marketing to STeve.

I freakin love this post!!! <3

[Justin Mazza]

This seems to be a common topic now a days. So many people are waking up and realizing that they hate their jobs, or even worse their lives.

Trading your time and energy for a paycheck at a job that you don't even like is counter-intuitive - contrary to what common sense would suggest.

Many people are trailing new paths to entrepreneurship but it's not for everyone.

Watch the t.v. show Sharktank to see how many people have come up with some awesome products or businesses that involve their passions.

[Anthoneee]

Your soul is the paycheck

[ChrisGinsburg]

I think the biggest problem for most people is truly understanding what their passion is. If you're quitting your job to embark on some monotonous assembly line type of adventure you are almost certain to have it feel like work again. All of our passions I believe whether we want to admit it or not revolve around two things.

1.) Creating things, ideas, help etc. that literally seem to flow right out of us. You know it's your passion when your hands or your mind just seems to do the work for you and it flows like a river right out of you.

2.) Helping others. I used to feel pretty closed off to the world. Even then, I would feel great if I was able to truly help someone. We can never truly close ourselves off from the joy of of bringing joy to others.

I think it's important to note as well that our place in this world can shift at any moment. Our passions can evolve into something we never thought we would be doing before. Instead of clinging to the same 1-3 things you think you love, be open to anything and you may just find yourself spontaneously presented with a situation that greatly serves you and humanity alike.

I used to work in the social work field directly interacting with clients all day. I quit at the end of last year because the system was so dysfunctional. I must say that I don't want to return to that system but I do feel a powerful force drawing me towards helping others face to face again. I enjoy writing here and working on my website but I can feel that the world needs more people helping directly.