Less Petty, More Paychecks
The top reason why you’re not levelling up: You lack grace.
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This story is for the people who don’t like their job, not for the ones who do.
If you’re like me, you’ve spent a lot of time at a job earning decent bank, but wishing you could earn it in some other way. You’ve looked at all those content creators online or all those side business owners with a tiny dark cloud forming over your head. They spend their free time, or all of their time, creating what they want and they actually get money and recognition for it? You think you’ll never be like them even though you have the same 24 hours they do and in some sick part of your stomach, you might hope they fail or believe they have a secret one-up that actually makes them successful.
To that I say: Please stop. Just stop.
The title of today’s story is the same message that Kelly Stamps advocates for in a Youtube video entitled, “level up your mindset: from dust to elegance”. I’m here to tell you that same hard truth. You need to hear it. Are you ready?
Here it is: You’re delusional. What you’re seeing in someone else’s success is the by-product of all the time and effort they’ve put into their work.
What you don’t see is the gruelling pain that goes on behind their screens and closed doors. What you don’t see is the hours they’ve wasted ruminating on past failures then last-minute rushing to get something out. What you don’t see are their tears or face rubs when they just can’t get past that one sale or creative block. It all looks pretty from the finished line. But you’re dumb if you think they didn’t deserve it.
And here’s a little piece of advice: Why are you even bothered? You should be focusing on yourself.
You may be inspired by those people to push yourself and make your own content or side business shine. But you shouldn’t let their own success make you give up so easily. You shouldn’t let it dictate how upset you feel at a job you chose to accept for money. First of all, they probably don’t even know you exist. And second, if they did, they probably wouldn’t care. Because they’re too busy growing and you’re still stuck in the weeds.
Stop feeling jealous. Stop minimizing someone else’s creations because you’re too afraid to start creating your own. Stop looking at the big wins and comparing them to the nuts you’d make if you started right now.
There have been multiple points in my life where I had to start from nothing. The beginning of a journey is never fully rewarding or glamourous. But the tiny money you earn from those sources will mean more to you in the long run. Because they were earned with your heart and not just your blood, sweat and tears. And when you start diversifying your streams? Oof, then honey, you won’t care anymore about what the others are doing.
Personally, I haven’t fully started diversifying my streams of income yet, but I can imagine how it feels.
So I want you to be intentional right now. I’ve said previously to be honest with yourself about what you want. What do you want? Do you want to keep making the same bank from a source that gives you no joy whatsoever? Because if it is, then all power to you. I won’t argue that everyone can be a mover or a shaker. And if you like staying towards the center of the road, or you have no choice at the moment, then I won’t step on your toes.
But if that’s not you, then what do you really want? Do you want to earn more — even if the concept of ‘more’ really only means a few dollars on the side — with the possibility that it can grow?
So start making. Start building those tiny direct deposits. Celebrate those little stats that go up and down like a new baby’s heartbeat. Because like the Law of the Attraction, if you keep on asserting your want for it, you’re likely to get it.
