The article is translated by Jason
“感謝上帝，我沒有工作鸟蜡∧ぴ撸”
當(dāng)我的朋友這么說的時(shí)候，我愣住了揉忘。我揚(yáng)起眉毛的時(shí)候跳座， 辣雞滴落在我的臉上。雖然我們坐在那什維爾以西的一個(gè)吵鬧的餐廳里泣矛，但是那句話很清晰地傳到我的耳邊疲眷。
“真的嗎？”我問道您朽。
“是的狂丝，”他邊說邊把薯?xiàng)l推到桌子靠我這邊』┳埽“我將永遠(yuǎn)沒有能力負(fù)擔(dān)我的生活其他方面几颜。”
首先讯屈，是這樣的：
我一直有一個(gè)“傳統(tǒng)的”工作蛋哭。有一個(gè)辦公室，一個(gè)老板涮母，還有有保障的薪水谆趾。這個(gè)傳統(tǒng)類型的工作有很多好處躁愿。
然而有一件大多沒有注意（或者是不想承認(rèn)）的特別事情。作為一個(gè)有創(chuàng)造力的人沪蓬，他最害怕一個(gè)牢籠彤钟，這是美國(guó)企業(yè)界讓我覺得很有問題的一個(gè)方面:
天花板。
這里一直有一個(gè)天花板怜跑，這與你有多喜歡你的工作样勃，或者多么努力工作都沒有關(guān)系。
在我們午餐約會(huì)的時(shí)候我了解到性芬，這個(gè)朋友每個(gè)月都有1萬(wàn)美金的收入峡眶。其中大部分收入來(lái)自于他曾經(jīng)做的一個(gè)產(chǎn)品，還有他銷售的自己做的一個(gè)自動(dòng)化程序植锉。他工作非常努力辫樱，但是也有自由去享受一天的中途偶遇的午餐約會(huì)。
在一個(gè)公司組織中俊庇，每一份收入都付帶了更多的責(zé)任狮暑。大部分人都知道工作中一個(gè)月拿到1萬(wàn)美金收入的人要承受更大的壓力。他們幾乎總是隨時(shí)待命辉饱，他們工作的更晚搬男，他們很少陪家人。（好吧——“大多數(shù)人”是一個(gè)令人誤解的說法彭沼。我所知道的3個(gè)傳統(tǒng)工作中一個(gè)月拿1萬(wàn)美金的人缔逛，他們每一個(gè)的生活都是這樣的。）
問一下自己：
你認(rèn)為你能從你現(xiàn)在的工作壓榨出多少收入姓惑？
額外3%褐奴？
額外每年2千美金？
額外的加薪于毙？額外的升職敦冬？
更重要的是，你認(rèn)為你能從你自己身上壓榨出多少錢唯沮？
確信這個(gè)收入與你花費(fèi)的時(shí)間和精力成正比嗎脖旱？
在一個(gè)傳統(tǒng)公司——對(duì)你的想法的回報(bào)，很少能與這些想法在公開市場(chǎng)帶來(lái)的價(jià)值或自由相匹配介蛉。
上周夯缺，有一個(gè)預(yù)感，我對(duì)我的網(wǎng)站和郵箱目錄做了一點(diǎn)調(diào)整甘耿。第二天我賣了五本書。馬上實(shí)驗(yàn)竿滨，馬上有結(jié)果佳恬。你很少看到一個(gè)雇員會(huì)有那種立竿見影的機(jī)會(huì)捏境。
讓我們玩一個(gè)游戲。
根據(jù)今天美國(guó)的情況毁葱，美國(guó)人的平均年薪大概是3萬(wàn)5千美金垫言。我們?cè)O(shè)想一下，你為幾家不同公司工作40年倾剿。因?yàn)槟闶且粋€(gè)聰明人筷频，工作很努力，也得到了升職前痘。
我們可以說你一生的總收入是：
1999999美金凛捏。
這里有個(gè)很有意思的問題問你自己：
我的2百萬(wàn)美金在哪里？
也許把你的愛好變成一份全職工作感覺太過分芹缔。我也知道坯癣，那是很艱難的路。在這之前你可能要投資大量的錢最欠。還有示罗，假如你把自己生活中有樂趣的部分扭曲和折磨成像你的工作的事情，感覺會(huì)怎樣芝硬？
那是一個(gè)很可怕的想法蚜点。但是，假如你的愛好能夠支付你的煤氣賬單拌阴，感覺怎么樣绍绘？你的電費(fèi)賬單?你在一些地方做點(diǎn)小改變，用上10到15年時(shí)間就能買自己的房子呢皮官？脯倒？
還有些有趣的問題給你自己：
為什么你做不到？
為什么你不能學(xué)一些技巧來(lái)推銷你所擁有的東西捺氢？
為什么你不能讓你的愛好能賺錢藻丢？
為什么你不能買一些東西，修理然后賣更多錢摄乒？
為什么你不能在天花板讓你屈服之前打開牢籠?
[原文]
“Thank God I Don’t Have a Job”
When my friend said this, I froze.
Hot chicken dripped down my face as I raised an eyebrow. Though we sat in a loud restaurant just west of Nashville, that sentence reached my ears clearly.
“Really?” I asked.
“Yep,” he said, pushing his unfinished fries to my side of the table. “I would never be able to afford life otherwise.”
First, this:
I still have a “traditional” job. There’s an office, a boss, and a guaranteed paycheck. There are a lot of good things about this type of job.
[6] There is, however, one thing in particular which most don’t notice (or don’t acknowledge). As a creative person who fears a cage the most, this is the aspect of corporate America which makes me squirm:
The ceiling.
There is always a ceiling, no matter how much you love your job or how hard you work.
My friend, as I learned on our lunch date, makes somewhere around $10,000 every month. Much of that money comes from a product he has already created, and is sold by an automated process he built. He works very hard, but also has the freedom to meet up for lunch in the middle of the day.
In Corporateville, every single dollar is attached to more responsibility. Most people I know who make $10,000 a month at a job operate under a high amount of stress. They are almost always on call. They work late hours. They see their families very little.
(Sorry?—?“most people” is misleading. I know 3 people who make that much in traditional jobs. Each of their lives is exactly like that.)
A question for you:
How much more do you think you can squeeze out of your current job? Another 3%? Another $2,000 a year? Another raise? Another promotion? More importantly, how much do you think you can squeeze out of yourself, knowing that income is directly proportional to the time and attention you spend?
In a company?—?the payoffs for your ideas rarely match the value or freedom those ideas bring in the open market.
Last week, on a hunch, I made a few tweaks to my website and email list. I sold 5 books the next day. Immediate experiments, immediate results. You rarely see that sort of instant opportunity with an employer.
Let’s play a game.
The average yearly salary for a single person in America is roughly $35,000, according to USA Today. In our imaginary scenario, you work 40 years for a few different companies. You get some promotions along the way because you are a bright person who works very hard.
We’ll say your lifetime total of earning is:
$1,999,999
Here’s an interesting question to ask yourself:
Where is my 2 millionth dollar?
Maybe manipulating your hobby into a full-time job feels like too much. I get it. That’s a hard road. You’ll probably invest a lot of money up front. Plus, what if you twist and torture a more enjoyable piece of your life into something which feels like work?
That’s a scary thought. But what if your hobby could pay your gas bill? Your electric bill? Could a few changes here or there buy you a house if applied over 10 or 15 years?
Another interesting question to ask yourself:
Why couldn’t you?
Why couldn’t you learn a few skills to sell what you do have?
Why couldn’t you make your hobby profitable?
Why couldn’t you buy something, fix it, and then sell it for more?
Why couldn’t you unlock the cage before the ceiling caves in on you?
