Tips to inspire your passive income dreams, when it looks more like pennies in your wallet

I get it. We all feel the lure of passive income. Dreams of building a side-hustle that becomes the escape from the monotony of a 9-5 job.

But, with only a handful of reads on your masterpiece, passive income looks more like pennies. The hours spent writing and editing, searching for that perfect image, and nothing.

Suddenly, your dreams come crashing back into reality.

You can't afford to quit your day job and start to question if you can afford the $9.99/month to pour your soul onto a page, only for your mom to say, "You're my top pick, here's $10."

It sucks.

Energy wasted over single-digit views, no tips, and no hope of having your Jerry McGuire moment of storming out of the office, or zoom call, and striking out on your own.

The echoes of silence tell you to give up, accept your fate as a 9-5 robot and go back to Disney+.

But if you're still reading this, don't be defeated.

You have a story to tell and a voice the world needs to hear. You want to make money, you want to find success, but it's not happening yet.

You read every article, join Facebook groups, or sign up for influencer courses promising to improve your writing and help you make six-figures in six weeks.

It's all lies. And gets you farther away from freedom by wasting time and stealing more of your money.

Patience young grasshopper, patience.

Wax on, wax off.

For those old enough to remember, this sage wisdom Mr. Miyagi is trying to pass to the Karate Kid. A lesson that seems arbitrary to Daniel-san, who wants to learn karate, not how to polish a car, is building the fundamental skills before you can fight any battles.

You can't be an overnight writing sensation, grasshopper. Sure, there may be people who have achieved this, but they are the exception, not the rule.

Your journey to side-hustle freedom starts with commitment. Success comes from the practice and the confidence to show it off to the world, even if that's only one or two readers.

Validation and Expectation

Seeking validation will kill your dream faster than anything else. Publishing your article and sitting back and waiting for the praise and dollars to roll in-is a fantasy. Doing it for the immediate cash out, you'll be disappointed.

My journey to $6.77

I started on Vocal in late December. About a month in, with 14 articles and $6.77 in payments, some may think this has a poor ROI.

I disagree. Writing allowed me to discover the world while locked in my apartment. To dive deep, explore new meaning, and understand new things.

But the harsh truth, despite my beliefs that my stories are newsworthy, what matters most is what engages readers.

To capture the attention in an over-saturated world, you have to provide a unique perspective and value that relates to the reader. Because the truth is, authenticity alone doesn't guarantee reads.

Is $6.77 for 14 articles a success? Hell yes. My version of success isn't in monetary gains right now. The perks of tips and challenges are an incentive to write. But the reward comes from being proud of hitting publish, regardless of how many pennies go into my wallet.

I focus on the impact of just one person hitting the little heart, showing me someone, somewhere, connected with what I said.

It didn't matter that:

I'm not the best writer.

I don't know how to write about trending topics.

I don't know how to SEO the shit out of my article to get it to rank with Gods of Google.

But ONE person found something there is an encouragement to keep going. All the rest are skills that I can develop with practice.

The expectation hangover

Writing 1000+ words is mind-numbing at times. Becoming an inner battle to find your authentic voice while struggling between writing a journal entry and a greedy monster who wants to make $1k on one article.

What should I write about?

Why would anyone even read this?

Who am I to tell people how to live their life?

The best friend of greed is the imposter syndrome. Saying you suck, you're a big phony, give up, and crawl back to your real job. That's the censored version.

It's humbling.

Most of us would not accept a job that paid less than minimum wage for our efforts. Yet writing online, you dedicate hours and energy to create work that often goes unnoticed.

Lost in the sea of everyone else trying to make their passive income dream a reality.

Don't let that deter you. You have to create a lot of bad work before you become the master. Most give up when there is no immediate recognition for their efforts, but consistency and dedication help you develop your skills.

Still with me? Ok, less consuming, more writing.

You're passionate. You write about your passion. And the ad you clicked on Instagram said you could make $500/month.

Hopefully, by now, you've accepted you're losing money by devoting time to your writing. With the internet saturated with content, it seems impossible to find your place in the passive economy.

Find your voice, focus on your niche is common advice, but how can you do that amongst the noise?

You keep writing. Write about what calls to you, what sticks out in your mind. Write to understand the world and what matters to you and the reader.

Don't get caught up in the loose change accumulating in your stats. It will defeat you. Instead, use your stats as information telling what subjects and approaches to focus on and which ones need to pivot.

What matters most is that you show up, spill your guts, hit publish, and feel the burn of silence.

Know the product you're selling

Every time you set off on your writing adventure, ask yourself is why you're showing up to post this article, story, or tidbit.

Are you trying to teach? Entertain? Explain?

Or are you looking for a get-rich-quick scheme?

Your article is your product you're trying to sell. The audience, your customer, pays you by clicking your headline and reading your story.

What value are you offering them for their time?

How will your article benefit them?

Why should they care?

Your library of unread articles becomes your baseline of authority.

It's about the long game, not the short one. The more you write, the more you discover what matters and how to appeal to the reader.

Allow your niche to find you, don't force yourself to be something you're not.

Motivation when there is no reward for your effort

It tests you to stay committed. But remember, no one is born great at anything. Natural talent is an illusion. Talent comes from dedication to mastery and developing skills acquired through practice at your craft.

Take Michael Jordan. Told he was too short for his JV basketball team, he used that as fuel to develop and begin his journey to mastery.

Or Steve Jobs, known as the innovative force behind Apple. He knew nothing about technology and wandered through random jobs after graduation. But a random opportunity to make extra money became his legacy.

Greatness is not inherited nor granted to you.

You have to do the scary work. Expose your vulnerability when you want to hide it from the world. Knowing you may only hear crickets.

Dedication and persistence to do the work and learn from your process will make earning that first $1.00 feel so rewarding.

While I'm far from the karate master, I can pass along a little bit of sage wisdom I've learned along my journey. To anyone beginning or struggling and hearing their inner demons telling them to give up, don't let them win.

1. Do the work. Even when you are a total failure and all the voices in your head are saying stop. Keep going. It's about understanding both yourself and others.

2. Let discovery drive your inspiration and lead you into the elusive flow-state.

3. Don't try to be something you're not. It will only block the words from coming to you. Let your story tell itself.

4. Perfectionism is fear in disguise. Publish the work before it's finished. The truth is, it will never be finished. You can edit until your heart is bleeding, but there will always be something you could have done better.

5. Stats don't validate you. Stop obsessing over them. Instead, use them as a guide to tell you what's working and what's not. And as tools to develop your process, listen to what people engage with, and pivot your direction.

6. Consume less noise, practice writing more. The best way to learn any skill is through practice. Learn from those you admire, but don't waste energy trying to cheat the system.

7. Writing for financial freedom is about the long game. The results show from being active in your process.

8. Accept you have to be bad to get good. Let failure drives your success.

9. Enjoy the discovery of writing. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. It's supposed to be fun.

The dream of your triumph escape is not over because you're making less than pennies per hour slaving away at your keyboard.

Trust the process and give it time.

Remember, when nobody reads your work,

"Don't forget to breathe, very important." - Mr. Miyagi

Cover Photo by Rock Staar on Unsplash