Why Writing With THIS In Mind Makes Me Feel Dirty

Truth be told, when I first started writing, I really didn't think about making money from slinging ink.

It was passion, plain and simple.

Making money or even thinking about making money off my obsession almost seemed, well, kinda dirty. And not the kinda dirty that washes easily. It felt like the kinda dirty that would always define the type of creator you'd become. So yeah, money was never a driver.

Until the day it was.

You see, it was after really honing my craft through some online writing courses, hiring a coach or two, and even joining some high-level writing masterminds that I realized how fucked up my train of thought was. The reason is this. Every time I bought a course, hired a coach and joined a mastermind, it was the product of a writer.

A writer who had found success making money at the craft.

Everything suddenly changed for me. It was like someone hit me over the head with an old-school Hermes 3000 Typewriter. Or poked me over and over with a leaky Bic pen, you know, the kind that explodes in white shirt pockets.

So what changed, you might ask? Why did I have a change of heart, mind, and on some levels, soul?

I went from the mindset of not thinking about making money to being a darn-near fiend for it. That's what happened, friends and readers. Money became my goal, my end game; the dirty animal stashed in some corner that needed feeding. Daily.

But this is not how I wanted things to be, is what I'd tell myself.

I had always read and learned that money is the root of all evil, but the truth is money can be used for good things. In a way, it's the fuel that keeps many of us going each day. In a more significant way, it's not the root of anything…it just is.

But I began to feel nasty and dirty because my creativity became tied to making money from writing.

It felt like an addiction and not in a good way.

I became obsessed with churning out content just to make more dollars than dimes off of affiliate links, or claps, or the amount of time someone spent perusing my words. And even then, there was no guarantee I would start seeing any returns from all this hard work after months have passed by without anything coming back into my pocket.

This leads me to the most profound reason why money matters so much, and I think even you, the righteous reader, will have trouble refuting this.

My family.

I want my kids to go to a decent school and not have to fret about new shoes. I deeply desire for my wife to never have to worry about the mortgage payment or have to ask me, "can we really afford that trip to Disneyland, Rick?" And more so, I crave the feeling that a man, a father, husband, provider feels when they know that they've done what they should.

Provide.

And because of that, I'm done feeling dirty.

Yeah. It sure as Shinola all changed.

So why the hell am I sharing this with you and the world now? Today?

My reasons are simple. Because today, more than ever, freelancers, creators, and especially freelance writers have one of the most immense opportunities right in front of us. It's so close and so easy to obtain that you wouldn't even need to take candy from babies because they'd be handing it right over to you without you even asking.

So if freelance writing is a target your sights, be sure to make the bullseye the amount you want to bring in month over month. It's not dirty; it's the best thing you can do for yourself, your career, your sanity, and of course, paying some damn bills.

Now pass me my pen and close the door on your way out…I've got bacon to bring home.

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