To Make Money, Or To Make Happiness?

To make money, or to make happiness, that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the mundane that leads to outrageous fortune, or to take arms by pen to fill the emptiness. I felt the best way to introduce the central idea of today’s post would be with an appropriately mutilated excerpt from Shakespeare’s vault. I know I’m not the only one who’s looked at life like this. If you made it this far, that’s probably why you’re here too. Why is it so impossible to feel like you’re doing something that’s not only worthwhile, but at its most selfish, base level of existence…FUN? And why can’t you make money doing it?

Well the truth is you can. And I know this sounds like the beginning of one of the most overstated, hollow promises that has oversaturated so much of the internet, that I probably lost you before you even made it here. Well, It’s not. I’m not trying to promise you anything. This is a blog, not a masterclass. In fact, I’m just going to be honest with you. You’re not going to be able to do it, if you don’t work towards it. The keyword here is work. You are not a character in a movie. You are the writer of your own story. And every day is a new page. A new opportunity to take your story in a different direction. So what I’m going to need you to do is quit your nine-to-five job, sell all of your belongings and move to L.A. to pursue your dreams. THAT WAS SARCASM..

Friends, you don’t have to do it overnight. In fact, that would be close to impossible. But you can always take steps towards it. Since my (arrogantly versatile) creative journey has begun, one thing has remained a constant: I always make time for my passions. Acting. Directing. Writing. Creating. No matter what job I’ve worked to make cash, from movie theaters to moving companies, I’ve always made time for what I really want to do with the rest of my life. I know being a 24 year old bachelor who still lives at home with Mom and Dad puts me in a better position than some, but the bottom line is, I’m still losing sleep over it. Make a schedule. If your schedule is full, you must sacrifice. Sacrifice sleep. Even if it’s only for 30 minutes a day. Sacrifice hanging out with your friends. Even if it’s only for one day a week. Sacrifice the time you sit in bed on your phone before getting up because you won’t regret it. Sacrifice your comfort. Because no one can ever make a wave, if they don’t dive into the water.

Now that the tough love inspirational speech is over, I can give you some tips on how to actually do this. Start out small. Dedicate 30 minutes every second day for a week to working towards that passion, in any capacity. The following week dedicate an hour every second day, and if you haven’t quit by then, do the same thing the next week, but everyday. After a month, make a move, DO the thing, it doesn't matter how insignificant, bad, uninformed etc. Just do it. DO IT! If you want to make movies, start shooting a short. If you want to act, do a scene with your friends. If you want to make music, start recording a song. Talent isn’t enough to be great. I’m not going to be the guy who compares your creativity to a muscle. I’d say it’s more like a palette that develops via exposure overtime. You know because painter’s use palettes and painting is art and art is creative? You get the idea. Most importantly, be open. Be open to doing what you want to do differently at first so you can afford to do what you want to do. I make promo videos for a Boating School. I'm here writing blogs. I run social media pages. I can do all of this because I continued to dedicate my time to my passion for so long, and these opportunities, contrary to what I was saying earlier, did naturally present themselves. Opportunities will present themselves when you put in the work. But Nicky, is making promo videos what you really want to do in life? No. But that doesn’t matter because like I said before, I always make time for my passion…and you can too.