If you go about life doing all the normal things that everyone else is doing and that everyone else is expecting you to do, the only outcome you can really expect is to be normal. And, the grand scheme of things, normal is rather mediocre. It’s very middle of the road and not exceptional in any way. For some people, that’s perfectly fine and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. If you’re reading this blog, though, and you’re interested in making money online, it’s pretty clear that you’re not all that interested in normalcy and mediocrity. You want to be exceptional.
In today’s society, the normal thing to do would be to go through school, work some part-time jobs or internships, land an entry-level position at some company, and proceed to follow the 9-to-5 routine for the next 40 or so years of your life (or more). It may not be with the same company (it probably won’t) and you’ll work to climb that corporate ladder, but the fundamental paradigm is effectively the same: put in the hours and earn your wage.
When you look at the typical career path of modern day professional, you’ll find that he or she is likely paid on a salary. They can expect to earn X number of dollars over the course of a year. Divided through by the number of working days, they can expect to earn a certain amount of money for showing up at the office each morning and clocking out at the end of the night. It doesn’t matter if it’s a particularly productive day or an especially lazy day at the office, the net earnings are mostly unaffected.
Because of this, the most common mindset of the contemporary office worker is simply to “put in the hours” so you can earn your wage. Sure, there may be some performance incentives and doing well at your job certainly helps when it comes time to negotiate for a raise, but the core dynamic is the same. Hours for dollars. You might not work extra hard one day, because you get paid just the same.
The life of the dot com mogul is completely and utterly different.
While there are definitely mechanisms in place that facilitate the generation of passive income streams and the development of systems that make money even when you’re not actively doing anything, the fundamental dynamic is different. In effect, if you don’t work, if you don’t put in the hustle, if you don’t dedicate yourself to your company and your success, you won’t earn a dime.
And therein lies the critical distinction that we find with the dot com mindset as compared to the typical mindset of the typical office worker. It’s not about putting in the hours or simply showing up at the office in the morning; it’s about getting real work done that moves you closer to your goals and objectives. It’s not the mindset of the salaryman. Realistically, it’s closer to the mindset of someone who works on commission… but it goes even further than that, because it’s about building an empire. It’s about creating a system that makes money for you.
For some, this might be through blogging. For others, it might be affiliate marketing, product creation or freelance services. The actual mechanic doesn’t matter as much as the mindset that you take when approaching these possible revenue streams. Understand that you might put in the hours today, but not reap the actual benefits for months or even years. Recognize that simply clocking in at the office won’t automatically generate an income for you.
It’s a shift in mindset that few people are willing to take. Are you one of them?