Cash Kitties

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At this point, I make almost the same amount of money working online as I do teaching. So why don’t I quit my day job? Well, this strange thing happened. Before I started making money online, I loathed my job and couldn’t wait to earn enough to make my exit. But as soon as started making enough for it to be a feasible option to walk out the door, I started enjoying my day job more. Why is this?

Imagine that you have a house that you like very much. It is decorated in just your style, and is very comfortable and cozy. Then imagine that someone put some bolts on the outside entrances and locked you in. Would you still enjoy your home as much?

It’s the same way with work. If you are trapped in a job, with no other options besides perhaps taking another, equally crappy job, then the feeling you have associated with that job won’t be good. Here is how having options has changed my outlook on my day job:

I am much more willing to do things the way I want to do them. This entails taking risks, which is a much more comfortable process now that I know that if my boss is displeased, it isn’t the end of my financial world.

Mentally, I am able to take a step back from my work. Since my day job no longer defines me to the extent that it once did, minor skirmishs with coworkers are not something I bother to get involved in. People ask me how I can keep my cool. Since a huge part of my identity isn’t tied in to my day job anymore, I don’t get insulted very easily. I simply don’t care about the office politics.

I’ve found that I’ve become much more creative. It is pretty difficult to work for yourself if you don’t have a dash of creativity. Coming up with ideas on my own, as opposed to primarily implementing the ideas of others, has opened the creativity floodgates. This makes the day job a heck of a lot more fun.

I appreciate the interactivity I have at work more. It’s easy to take something for granted until you don’t have it anymore. I spent the majority of the Christmas break (I’m a teacher) working online. When I returned to work, I really took a lot of pleasure in the social interaction that accompanies working with others. If I ever go freelance full-time, I will have to make sure that I integrate daily interaction with various people into my life.

The lesson in all of this for me is that it’s important to have options in every area of life, except, perhaps for your marriage. That might cause some problems. Although, isn’t one of the reasons that people cite for being unhappy in marriages “being stuck”? It tells you something.

Develop as many streams of income as you can without spreading yourself too thin. The more options you have, the more satisfying each one becomes.

Photo by ViaMoi