I like to break down my motivational goals to dollars and cents. It can be a deterrent or a prod to get me going. Depends on the time of day.
I seek that 1000 super fans goal. Any career is possible if you have that. And with my super expensive lifestyle of owning a home, kids, wife, livestock and fur baby hungry mouths to feed it surely …
I like to break down my motivational goals to dollars and cents. It can be a deterrent or a prod to get me going. Depends on the time of day.
I seek that 1000 super fans goal. Any career is possible if you have that. And with my super expensive lifestyle of owning a home, kids, wife, livestock and fur baby hungry mouths to feed it surely increased my goals of day, a decade ago when it was just me, myself, and I.
So, to quantify my measure of success, autonomy, and security, I would require no less than $75k/yr gross. But, taking into account we are moving to a more desirable location that will mean a higher tax bracket and mortgage, etc. My wife would never let me quit my very secure (permanently work from home, yay) job unless I was safely earning $100k/yr and for an entire calendar year. Of which I do not blame her. It one thing to reach the goal. It is quite another to rely on hundreds of strangers to help you sustain it monthly. We know this from the Patreon she currently has had for over 5 years that accounts for about 1/4 of what I bring home a month. Yay for supplemental income. But that number fluctuates much too much to rely on a set amount every month. Some months it’s 4 digits but every now and again it’s just 3 digits and then we’re in trouble. No way to live...but I digress...all this to say, as a person who lives in spreadsheets both for work and personal stuff, I can relate...
Most likely, the only way to maintain a somewhat balanced budget as a writer is to diversify. Much like stock investing, having several income streams is the only way to maintain some sort of “income” as a writer. I’m branching out into editing, recording a new album, writing screenplays, performing locally, and doing house concerts. We’ll see how these hustles coalesce into something realistically equivalent to a salary.
I used a cheat code earlier in life: I joined the Marines. As a lieutenant colonel, I make roughly $140,000 a year and when I retire in two years, I will net about $4,000 a month in perpetuity. That was my Plan B and it’s worked okay over the years. So, my sailboat dream isn’t too far-fetched. But I would like to see my pension doubled by my writing efforts. Time will tell.
I like to break down my motivational goals to dollars and cents. It can be a deterrent or a prod to get me going. Depends on the time of day.
I seek that 1000 super fans goal. Any career is possible if you have that. And with my super expensive lifestyle of owning a home, kids, wife, livestock and fur baby hungry mouths to feed it surely increased my goals of day, a decade ago when it was just me, myself, and I.
So, to quantify my measure of success, autonomy, and security, I would require no less than $75k/yr gross. But, taking into account we are moving to a more desirable location that will mean a higher tax bracket and mortgage, etc. My wife would never let me quit my very secure (permanently work from home, yay) job unless I was safely earning $100k/yr and for an entire calendar year. Of which I do not blame her. It one thing to reach the goal. It is quite another to rely on hundreds of strangers to help you sustain it monthly. We know this from the Patreon she currently has had for over 5 years that accounts for about 1/4 of what I bring home a month. Yay for supplemental income. But that number fluctuates much too much to rely on a set amount every month. Some months it’s 4 digits but every now and again it’s just 3 digits and then we’re in trouble. No way to live...but I digress...all this to say, as a person who lives in spreadsheets both for work and personal stuff, I can relate...
Most likely, the only way to maintain a somewhat balanced budget as a writer is to diversify. Much like stock investing, having several income streams is the only way to maintain some sort of “income” as a writer. I’m branching out into editing, recording a new album, writing screenplays, performing locally, and doing house concerts. We’ll see how these hustles coalesce into something realistically equivalent to a salary.
I used a cheat code earlier in life: I joined the Marines. As a lieutenant colonel, I make roughly $140,000 a year and when I retire in two years, I will net about $4,000 a month in perpetuity. That was my Plan B and it’s worked okay over the years. So, my sailboat dream isn’t too far-fetched. But I would like to see my pension doubled by my writing efforts. Time will tell.