One of the most searched for topics on the Internet is how to make money online. All kinds of people from all walks of life, from all over the world are motivated each day to turn to their keyboard in hopes of finding the answer. In preparing for this series about How to Make Work Optional, I did a totally unscientific survey and a lot of reading research. When asked the question, “Why do you want to make money on-line?” the most frequent responses included…

The truth is, what ever reason people give ( to get ahead on bills, to save for a rainy day, to get rich! ), we are not necessarily looking for a way to just make money on-line. We ARE looking for:

  • Security – Insurance against a poor economy, against being laid off, against your job being oursourced or off-shored
  • Freedom – The ability to do what you want in life rather than settling for what you can accomplish during your two weeks off. The opportunity to quit a bad job rather than suffer through Dilbert like bossed and co-workers. The chance to choose your journey rather than accept the one that’s been laid out for you.
  • Independence – Living life untethered from the anchors that hold you back. Exercising your ability to move freely, make your own choices, do work that matters to you.

The appeal of a title like Making Work Optional is that it offers hope for regaining control of your life from the external forces that are MAKING you do work that may be, at best, unfulfilled. Making it optional draws us in because it means that all three of our reasons above are satisfied.

The social training we’ve been subjected to most of our lives makes the idea of not working pretty difficult for some of us to get our arms around. We’re taught that getting a good education, a good job, and working hard all lead us to the safety and security of a comfortable retirement. For some, the perceived value of that promise over-powers the need for freedom… and that’s ok. Sometimes there are good reasons to stick with what you have.

For others though there just has to be more. The promise of a retirement is too far away and uncertain. The security of their current job is questionable and loosing their job would devastate them financially. You need only look at the last 18 months to see what could happen.

The decision is yours. This week we will look at the issues and questions around making work optional, whether its right for you and how to get started if it is something you want to pursue.

Do you think bucking the status quo might be right for you? Are you safe and secure in your current situation and perfectly happy to stay where you are? Drop a comment below and join the conversation!

@jtrigsby

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