Getting a job?

It happens from time to time, since I get a fair amount of email. The summary version is this…

A person is currently having financial problems. Perhaps they lost their job… or they’re trying to avoid getting one. They want to make money on their own. And they turn to blogging. They ask me questions on what they can do to earn X dollars in some specific amount of time.

I remember one guy who emailed something like this to me a few months ago. I don’t remember the name or the specifics, but I remember that he was really feeling the pressure. He was pretty stressed out about his financial situation. And he was turning to a blog to try to build something up and get out of this pressure cooker.

My advice to him might not have been what he wanted to hear… or what you might even think.

I told him to go get a job.

Hi. My name is David Risley and I consider myself unemployable. The idea of having a day job makes me throw up in my mouth a little, to be honest. And yes…. I just told this guy to go get a job for a little while.

See, here’s the thing… and we must be real about it…

Starting a blog in order to make money fast is kinda like starting a garden so you can have dinner tonight. It just isn’t going to happen. A garden is a long-term thing. And, some of us have a green thumb while others just have this knack for killing plants. 😉

A garden can grow over time, if you do things right. And, later on, it can be a source of some nice food. But, short term, it isn’t going to do much for you at all.

A blog is the same way. It takes time to grow one. It will take a lot of unpaid work to grow it. Later on, however, it could grow into a nice income source. There’s no guarantee.

Also, blogs don’t really make money anyway. Only a real business does. A blog is just a marketing vehicle for that (and a really good one). But, this is something we’ve discussed many times before.

There’s one other thing…

When one is feeling the financial pressure cooker, they’re under stress. And that’s a TERRIBLE place to be when you’re trying to start up a new venture. Especially one which is more of a longer-term growth process.

When you’re in that situation, you have a “must have” on it. Every little decision becomes terribly important. And, life has this funny way of repelling away those things which you “must have”.

It’s kind of like when you’re in a terrible hurry when you’re driving and suddenly EVERY TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNS RED! Arrgh! It is almost as if the world is trying to keep you from getting where you need to be.

I find, generally, that the most progress gets made when you have a spirit of play. When you’re looking at it as a fun game. Something… playful and fun. That’s when you can really get into the groove and do your best work. But, when you’re taking everything REALLY seriously because it simply HAS to work, success can feel elusive. And the frustration snowballs.

So, don’t come into this world of blogging and online business as a way to handle a short term financial problem. You need to do something faster and more immediate to the problem.

Don’t start a garden. Find a way to get dinner tonight.

Find any and every way to make money through a direct offer. Could be offering a service or even… yes… getting a job for a little while.

Handle your immediate problem and remove some of that pressure, even if it is something you don’t particularly enjoy.

It doesn’t mean you’re giving up on your dream. It is just another step in your progression.

Your issue then becomes one of time management and not so much how to handle your bills. And, that seems preferable to me. And I think better for your success at this.

Oh, and if you happen to already have an online business, but it is simply not making enough to live on and you’re desperately trying to avoid going back into a regular job, then some of the same mindset applies to you. Your game becomes doing ANYTHING to make fast money in that business. Often, offering a service is the way to do that. I mean, just get in there and be a grunt. Often, we try to avoid that out of pride. But, trust me, it is better for your success getting out of the sand to remove the financial pressure and handle the immediate situation first. You’ll see things more clearly with the cloud removed from your head.

So, that’s my real talk on this.

This is my answer to you if you’re looking to blogging as a “quick fix”.

… cuz it sure as hell isn’t that. 🙂

– David