Help! All I do is work.
(photo: Mr.Thomas. )
It seems that more and more often people are now getting sucked in to working longer hours, and spending less time living their lives. Is this what life is all about? Of course not! Work is a way to make money, but most people want to be able to use that money to enjoy life. What should you do?
First you need to alter your thought pattern. Why do you work? You need money for food, clothing and shelter. Beyond that, money is a good way to fund your entertainment. Let’s try to flip this around so you can start getting ahead.
If you had $5 million in the bank, would you be so worried about going to work tomorrow? Or would you possibly feel very secure with the safety net you have and start finding other ways to make money without spending 8 to 10 hours a day working for someone (or even more hours for many that own a business)?
Taking the first step.
Save some money. Just a little bit at first. Try saving $5 a week, or more if you can afford it. Put it in an account you won’t touch. I suggest signing up for a money market account with an online bank. It is easy to transfer money in each week, and in many cases you can set it up to happen automatically.
This is taking a long time…
Maybe you don’t make very much money, so building a good savings will take a long time. Have you thought about making some money on the side? Is there anything you know a lot about? Possibly certain types of items you could purchase locally from craigslist? Why not pick something up, and then resell it on ebay, or at a garage sale, or to an antique shop, etc… My sister buys used toys for her son on craigslist. Later on, she was selling them after her son got bored with them. She recently realized that in a few months time she had sold quite a few toys for more than she paid for them, making about $200 in profit. She was not even trying to make money, it just happened because she was getting great deals. What if she had been looking for items more consistently and then just reselling them? She could easily turn this in to a $1,000 a month or more income in her free time. On top of that, she has fun doing it. Be creative, earning a little extra money is not very hard. Be sure to save the extra money in your new bank account!
Change your thinking.
Eventually, you need to let your money work for you. Not all people are meant to trade their own time for income. People that invest understand this. People that set up businesses that basically run themselves understand this. Even if you decide to keep working, is there a way you can put your savings to work, or create a simple business that keeps you earning an income? Yes. Think about what you know how to do, then figure it out. The important thing is to limit the time you spend, and figure out how to make it work in that amount of time.
It is not easy.
The hardest part is to get something going. It is hard to believe that something better is out there, and that you can do it. Once you believe in yourself, you will find the way.
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