Do From Passion
Monetisation is a self-defeating cycle that inhibits your passions growth — clipping the wings of your dreams and ensuring their eternal grounding…
I’m a serial over-thinker — extinguishing passion before it’s even had a chance to form.
Why?
Because i’m always thinking about money. This isn’t just those niche ideas that i get once every month — it’s everything.
Starting a YouTube channel? let’s make some money.
Writing on Medium? What’s my financials looking like?
Going a run? Let’s film it and bring in some capital.
It’s a fundamental flaw i’ve had since birth. I don’t know what happened, i’m not sure why i’m so intrinsically obsessed? Maybe i watched too much Dragon’s Den?
I’ve always dreamed of making billions, becoming a more handsome Mark Zuckerberg, reaching the upper epsilons of wealth. I’ve always this intuition for money — seeing opportunities in the dreariest circumstances and establishing projects that seem hopeless.
My friends called me Jewish when i was younger in some misconstrued attempt to humourise my obsession with money.
It’s yet to say wether this innate characteristic will pay dividends; i could end up the CEO of some successful start-up or i could end up clutching at £5 notes to pay rent. That’s yet for me, you, and the world to see.
What i know now, and didn’t then, is that you need to separate passion from money. This isn’t to say that they can’t co-exist; simply that there’s domains for both that are best kept independent of one another.
For example, some passions of mine include writing, creating, challenging myself, hiking, adventure, and travel. I’ve nurtured these carefully over my 21 years on this earth, paying special attention to the intricacies of each, ensuring they’re all watered and amply fed.
Travel, hiking, discovery and challenging myself have always been passions of mine. It’s something i can feel in my bones, something undeniable, something tied to my very being. I love doing these things because they bring me immense joy, satisfaction and fulfilment; i feel most alive doing them.
The trap i previously fell in to was brainstorming ideas to monetise the aforementioned passions. Can i start a travel blog? Could i get paid to hike? Should i start a YouTube channel where i challenge myself?
The answer to all those questions is Yes.
Yes, i could, and maybe it would be a good idea, but not initially.
Initially, it’s almost always best to do from passion and think about money later. I want to travel to experience new countries, cultures, peoples and landscapes. I want to challenge myself to find my limits, grow as a person, and recognise my ability. Do From Passion, Money Comes Later.
Conversely, there’s some things you should pursue for financial gain only. I invest in stocks and crypto markets. I keep up-to-date with the news, i’m teaching myself how to read charts and do technical analysis, i’m ensuring i have the capital to pursue my passions.
To romanticise the sole pursuit of passion would be, in my eyes, foolish. However you look at it, you need financial freedom to chase your dreams. They should harmonise like a beautiful symphony; complementing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, ultimately aiming to provide fulfilment in your life.
Don’t be like 18 year-old me. Don’t try to tie your passions down to the single numerical number that is income. At least not initially.
Let your passions fly for the sole reason of letting them fly. Let them spread their wings, soar in the sky and go higher than you ever imagined. Money acts as an anchor until a certain point, at which it flips and becomes an extra gust of wing underneath your wings.
Educate yourself on finances and wealth but keep that shit separate. Use that money to nurture and grow your passions because what use is money if it can’t make you happy? Numbers in a bank are simply numbers in a bank.
Do From Passion and when it gets to the stage where monetisation not only makes sense, but is rudimentarily tied to your passions growth, then, and only then, should you monetise your passion.
Do From Passion.
As Always,
Yours Honestly,
Commodore Pipas.
