Jun 07 2008
Do I Want to Aim for the Stars or Be a Satisfied Slacker?
I wasn’t feeling well today so pulled a sickie and spent most of the day wandering between my bed and my desk. When I was online I spent most of my time reading blogs instead of doing work and I came across a couple of interesting videos that got me thinking.
The problem is that I don’t think they got me thinking about what it should have got me thinking about - how to take the world by storm! Instead I started to wonder if I could really be bothered with all that success and the riches, employees, responsibilities and headaches that go with it or if I’m happy sitting behind my computer screen as an unknown, plugging away and making a modest salary while living what I consider to be a pretty sweet lifestyle.
Watching this has made me wonder if most people out there in internetland are after as much as they can get - dreaming big, wanting to be the best, hoping to make a name for themselves and get all the accolades that go with it. Or are most people just happy to have enough money to live their life comfortably in anonymity? To me the celebrity aspect sounds like hell and I think I would explode if I even attempted to have half as much energy as that guy has.
How about you guys? Are you dreaming of big things, bright lights and big egos or are you happy to dream big in a quietly confident sort of way, slowly building your web empire behind the scenes? I’m not sure the self promotion game is one I’m really keen on playing although I love following the people who do it well. Is this loser speak I’m spewing forth?
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I've been travelling since January 2008 living off earnings from the web. Follow me as I bum around Asia and beyond, getting up to mischief and working online as I go.
Since you ask…My grand aspiration in life is to be a ski/surf bum….I would like to think that I can finance that by a combination of daytrading and website building. At some point in the very near future I want to not have to ever go to a job again and don’t really care about big things, big egos, bright lights or gobs of money.
I don’t think of it as loser speak at all. In fact, thinking about it the happiest days of my life were the days when I didn’t have any money.
Wow, I have not pulled a sickie in ages…perhaps I should. I too would be happy sitting behind the screen and don’t aspire to be an ‘a-lister’ by any means…but not making a modest salary. See the problem is that so many people who try to make money online fail, I repeatedly say this on AP that it IS hard work. They read the a-list bloggers and copycat their way along with whatever they say and truthfully most of those who achieve a-list status don’t write much of any value once the gain that status anyway so they are wasting their time.
To build any level of empire you must reach for the stars and, I bet, if you offered anyone a chance to take a modest amount of ‘play’ money from working online, 95% would jump at it as they know in the back of their minds that they are going to struggle to make it work.
So, in answer to your question…if you reach for the stars and don’t like it, you can always slack off and make do with a modest income, but it will never work the other way round so go on, reach for the stars.
Having run a number of businesses I can happily say that I much prefer it just being me and my trusty computer.
Hi Kirsty, interesting thought. For me the decision is clear: I’d rather have a decent amount of time on my hands than a decent amount of money. Not that I would decline a million or two, but working my butt off to be able to buy stuff that I merely need for work.. well, not exactly my cup of tea.
Also, aiming high usually means high risk, while finding your small niche has better odds for being profitable.
For those of you who don’t know it yet I recommend the excellent speech held by David Heinemeier Hanson at the 2008 Stanford Startup School:
http://omnisio.com/startupschool08/david-heinemeier-hansson-at-startup-school-08
Hi Kirsty,
It seems like you are living the life you want and are happy. To me that is far from being a slacker and the ultimate success. How many people are living the life they want instead of just dreaming about it?
this is an all too difficult question. the answers are conflicting in my head… to be a bum or to not be a bum that is the question.
I’ve had much the same thoughts, I lean towards the “time can not be bought back” camp, I’d be totally content if I could replace my day job with the chance to live in say China from online income exclusively.
I think the really big earners in internetland are the ones you never heard of: not the ones with the big fancy blogs, the ones who really make serious dough tend to own a lot of sites anonymously and make good cash in unsexy niches.
I am a bit obsessed with the whole money making thing at the moment so doing long hours: and of course not making any money. I have a precise monthly target I want to get 2 - and once I get there - plus a bit for safety I will undoubtedly slack off- money for the sake of it doesnt interest me
I like having the freedom and time to do whatever and whenever I want. I don’t think I want employees or those kinds of hassles either. I don’t want any media attention, but I do want my websites to be popular and successful. I would like to hit it big with at least one site that I can later sell and pay off my mortgage.
I think I should have posted a summary of the video too because it’s not just about making wads of money, it’s also about gaining a certain level of celebrity in your chosen field.
I agree that time is more valuable than money and I think if you catapult yourself to the next level where celebrity status and having employees is invloved, you lose a lot of fredom and start to become tied down to your businesses and committments.
I think some people are natural self promoters but think that most of us are happy just getting on with things with dreams revolving around freedom rather than recognition.
[…] Kirsty at Nerdy Nomad wonders just how far she wants to take her online ventures. Status and notoriety are important to some, but what about those of us out there who want to keep a lower profile? Great post even though I’m not at a point where my online income covers my expenses, I often wonder if I’d push it to the next level after meeting that goal. […]
Hey Kristy, thanks for posting the interesting and tough question.
Seems like I’m the odd person out, I definitely want to aim for the stars and be known for an accomplishment in my field as well as making a large amount of money. Mostly because, well, I’ve never been much good at being a slacker and I enjoy the fun of doing something big or setting Really Big Goals. It’s always so striking to me how people fall distinctly into two separate groups on this issue. For example, my husband would LOVE to be a satisfied slacker and I would go stir-crazy. I think that either way you need to be living a life that makes you happy- whatever that is.
I think you are right on. I’m happiest when I’m enjoying the great outdoors or being with family or traveling. I have a government job that I am thankful for, as it will be my “exit strategy” into retirement. But, I would chuck it tomorrow if I could do something similar to what you’ve got going on. I say “Good for you, Kristy”! Greedy people suck.
I can say with much confidence that the behind the scenes lifestyle is for me. I dont want to be rich or important or any of those things. I want to live a modest life with a comfortable amount of money that allows me to do the things I hold dear. Roadtrips, traveling abroad, creating/learning, playing my guitar on the porch and hanging out with my friends.
Ive noticed its a lot harder to find like-minded people in those regards than I thought. Even some of my good friends are striving for the big paycheck and uber-responsibility that I find to be in excess. But its very refreshing to come across blogs like this one because its exactly the route Im starting to travel on and it keeps me inspired. I just started wndrlust.com and have a few more sites brewing now. Hopefully I can start pulling in a decent money flow like you are in due time. Good luck with your travels!