Everyone knows that we need money in order to live. That’s a given. We need to buy food and clothing. We need a place to live. In certain nations (like my own) we need money in order to afford healthcare even.
But do we really need a job?
We’ve been taught that we need to go to school, get a good job, start a family, and so forth. But what if that teaching is wrong?
What if we’re looking at the problem from the wrong angle?
We need money to live, but do we really need to get a job in order to acquire the money?
In 2011 I quit my day job in order to be a stay at home single mother for my daughter. If one needs a job in order to make the money to survive, why was it that I managed without one for several years?
During those lovely years of freedom, I didn’t have to look at a time clock. I didn’t have to worry about what hourly wage I was receiving. Instead, I did what I enjoyed (writing books and blog posts while enjoying my daughter’s fleeting childhood). Despite the fact that I worked for neither wage nor salary, money flowed into my bank account like clockwork.
It still does to this very day.
While the amount of money isn’t enough for me to be comfortable living on currently, the fact remains that money comes to me each and every month regardless of how I spend my time.
I am currently using that money to bring even more money into my life through my investments.
Considering this, perhaps we are looking at the problem from the wrong angle. Perhaps instead of thinking “I need money so I want to find a job,” we need to think “I need money so I want to find a way to provide it” instead.
One could write books as I do. One could share affiliate links as others do. Some create websites to sell items that they never even see in a method known as drop-shipping. Henri from Wake Up Cloud started out by creating poker websites to create a passive income flow.
There are as many different ways to generate passive income as there are stars in the sky but we don’t see them. When we think of money, we automatically think of getting a job in order to acquire it.
But do we need one?
What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Spot on. You’re awesome!
Thanks, my friend!
We need.money but how we get it is up to us. I’ve dreamed of being financially free for decades and after wearing shoes that were worn and working a day job i hated while building my own business I am free and it is better than I ever dreamed it would be. If I had been smarter I’d have worked more on passive income streams. I think you are on to something with that idea. Hoping for a new book from you soon
Hello, Karen! I am beginning to believe that I may be looking at things from the wrong side of the coin. While I want to increase my income to not only upgrade my lifestyle, my ultimate goal is to eliminate the need to trade my time for an hourly wage. I am learning that the wealthy would look at that situation differently than I have been. They would say “I need XX amount of money; how can I get that money?” as opposed to “I need to get a job making XX an hour to buy ZZ.”
Instead of thinking “I need to get a better paying job to have more money to invest,” perhaps I need to ask myself “what can I do to increase my income so that I can make the leap into real estate?”
No, we don’t need a job working for others. Yes, we do need money if we are going to live in this society. I have tried various things to get money without a job. It isn’t easy and it takes a lot of drive and ambition and perseverance, which you have, Annie. I’ve tried it and just could not devote the time I needed to as I raised my kids and now am the care provider for my senior parent. Personally, I earn enough per hour that I can work less hours in a ‘job’ ‘than it would take me to make money other ways- unless it was passive income. As far as passive income, you need to be ‘active’ in the beginning to get that rolling and ever vigilant to maintain it. I decided to work a job and use that income toward saving, investing and living a simple, minimalist lifestyle. Love reading your blog because it helps me to stay focused. Thanks!
I’m in a similar situation, Cam. I’ve no desire to start another business, yet my writing business doesn’t bring in enough for me to feel comfortable living on it. The royalties are allowing me to grow my investment income, however, so I am definitely not complaining. That said, I am beginning to wonder if my thoughts of aiming for a higher-paying position are misplaced. What if I brainstormed ways to increase my writing income instead? Wouldn’t that be working “smarter” instead of “harder,” since I know that, regardless of what type of hourly position I work that it won’t meet my long-term goal of no longer trading my time for money?
Conversely, earning a higher wage would provide more money to invest. More money invested would allow me to go into real estate sooner BUT I also have another option to consider. A distant relative became a realtor to not only increase his income but to allow him to easier locate investment properties. He used the money from his real estate business to not only fund his lifestyle but his investments in real estate and other businesses before he retired. His story has given me much to think about.