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It’s Not Just How Much Money You Make, It’s How You Make it
Not all income is created equal
One property of money is fungibility: a dollar is a dollar. To the bank, whether you or I make $10,000 working for ourselves, or $10,000 working for the worst boss in the world, it’s the same $10,000.
Still, the way you and I make this money is not interchangeable. We know this inherently; for example, you may quit a job that pays an incredible amount of money because you can’t stand the working situation. Similarly, no amount of money is worth breaking the law.
To me, every dollar I earn independently is worth two dollars that I earned on salary. A skeptic might say, teleologically, that’s the story I tell myself in order to keep doing independence; I’d also remind them that I don’t have a bedtime, I have control over who I work with, and how I spend my time and energy.
If you’re ever to do work as an independent, you’ll need to appreciate this: an independent dollar is more difficult to earn, and certainly more valuable from a life perspective. You’re building the business and psychological skills that enable you to operate freely in the world of capitalism; you’re switching ladders.
This comes contrary to what I’d consider a popular independence narrative, which is that you’re sure to…
