When I see people working late or working overtime I get depressed. It’s one thing if you’re young and you’re full of energy, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. But it’s another thing when you’re older, overworked and been doing it for 20-30 years. Even though I don’t work more than 40 hours a week at my day job, when I get home I spend at least 2 to 3 hours every single night working on my side hustles. In a way, I’m just like those people at work except I’m working overtime for myself instead of some faceless corporate entity.
I’ll be honest, I have a very chill day job. That’s probably part of the reason why I can work another few hours when I get home. There aren’t many high paying jobs where you can come in late, leave early and play basketball at lunch but that’s exactly what I do. And even though that may seem like a good thing, I have to constantly remind myself of my ultimate goal. Working for myself and owning my own business(es) is something I want sooner rather than later. But when you’re fortunate enough to have a job you enjoy it’s easy to get complacent.
Hobby & Business Collide
When I first started working online, it was more of a hobby than anything else. I liked personal finance so I started writing about it. It wasn’t until I started making some decent money that I began to treat it like a business. Now everything I do online is a business to me: my websites, my freelance writing, etc. Even though I still enjoy the writing, I’ve taken a much more proactive approach when it comes to advertising, internet marketing and basically just figuring out how to make money from sitting on my couch.
There are some bloggers out there who are happy to make a few bucks here and there and just stay right where they are. That’s not me though. I’m always looking at hiring new writers, coming up with new ways to promote articles, and researching the business side of blogging. There are a lot of smart people out there and the internet has made it easier than ever to learn from them for free. I haven’t spent one cent educating myself when it comes to working online yet I’ve amassed a pretty nice little business.
I’m Good at Making Money
I’m not sure if it was luck or just a certain affinity but I’ve always been good at making money. During college and even high school, I had lots of jobs that paid well and were pretty easy. I figured it would get tougher once I started working full time but that really hasn’t been my experience. There are lots of people in my industry and even my company that work their ass of yet somehow I always seem to get placed in the right spot.
I could sit back and relax right now and probably end up with a pretty good life. I’ve been maxing out my retirement accounts for the past few years and after a few more, I should be pretty much set(compound interest is an amazing thing people). If I stayed on my current path, I’d be able to retire early(in my 50’s), save up a ton of money and buy some pretty nice things. But for some reason I want more, it’s not enough for me to stay on my current path. I know that I could work my ass off and get ahead at my corporate job but that’s only going to lead to a life of more work. CEO’s get paid a lot of money but they have to work extremely hard, the corporate road is not one I want to take. And once you get to the top, you’ll have to work harder than ever before to stay there.
Temporary Sacrifices are a Good Thing
I don’t mind working my corporate job right now but that’s all it really is to me: just another job. Even though I like doing it and I’m good at it, it’s not something I want to do for the rest of my life. And since I have this burning desire to always be moving up in the world, that only leaves one area to grow: my personal businesses.
Right now, I’m making a lot of sacrifices because I know that in the end it will all be worth it. Having multiple sources of income will remove my dependence from my day job income and give me the freedom to be my own boss. I don’t see the point in sacrificing your free time, your mind or your body so that someone else’s business can grow. No matter how successful you are as an employee, you’ll never be compensated for your full value. Business owners by definition have to take a profit and you’re the one who’s going to be providing it.
When I make a sacrifice, it’s for something that’s going to grow my business or my income sources. I work for 2-3 hours a day when I get home because I know that as my business grows, the sooner I’ll be able to leave my corporate job. I could just as easily go to happy hour with friends or stop by the beach to surf but that’s not going to do me a whole lot of good business-wise. I do try to keep a nice balance though between work and personal life.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy working but I don’t like being chained down to an 8 hour a day schedule, coming in Monday through Friday and having to request vacation. If I can find a way to make the same amount of money working half the hours(on my own schedule), I’m going to do it. I probably won’t get there with my online income alone but I can use some of that active income from my day job to invest in real estate, buy stocks, etc and eventually I’ll have enough to replace my day job income.
When you’re working corporate, there’s no end in sight. The better you do, the more work you’ll get and the higher up you’ll go, it’s one vicious cycle. So for me, that type of sacrifice just isn’t worth it. Instead, I make sacrifices that are going to lead to something: reduced hours, similar pay and more flexibility. By saving and investing my money and time now, I’ll be able to scale back on my corporate job in a few years and live the life I want to live.
Readers, what do you think about the sacrifices you make at work? Is it worth it to bust your ass working overtime if it’s only going to lead to more and more work(and money)? Or do you think it’s a better idea to make sacrifices only if it’s going to lead to something better?
-Mr. 4HWD
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Great measure of when it’s worth it to sacrifice. In the past, I’ve “sacrificed” my free time to get my foot in the door with writing. And it was worth it! But then, I’ve also put in 50+ hours a week at a job that didn’t really get me anywhere. It’s my nature to want to put in extra effort, but sometimes that doesn’t serve me very well, because my work/life balance gets crazy. Sometimes I struggle with the question: Why am I going above and beyond? Should I be? I think your “growing” point is a great way to approach the question.
Thanks KWong, I see so many people sacrificing their personal life, free time, money etc yet they’re not moving forward. That is pointless and dumb if you ask me. I don’t mind making those types of sacrifices as long as it’s getting me closer to my ultimate goal.