Making money is a hobby that will complement any other hobbies you have, beautifully. – Scott Alexander
It is a fact that when we speak to someone, the words we use account for very little of what the other person remembers about us. When someone asks you a question, they are not only interested in the words that make up your answer – they are interested in how you answer, and the bits that you omit from your answer.
In addition, most questions are constructed on several levels, where the main question is represented by the words used. The other levels are not actually verbalized, but are still understood to be part of the question. So, what may look like (and sound like) a simple question, is actually a hierarchy of questions designed to gather a large amount of information.
In other words, each question contains peripheral questions which never have to be asked, but which will still attract answers of their own, if the main question is answered. The side-effect of this is that there are questions which are not deemed socially acceptable in all circumstances – not because of the questions as such, but because of the unspoken peripheral questions.
As far as I can tell, the answer to the main question will be dissected sub-consciously, and we will adjust our attitude towards people accordingly, based on how their answers (to the peripheral questions) relate to our personal experiences.
As an example, consider the following question:
- So, what do you do?
The main objective of this question seems to be to find out how someone spends their days. However, by looking at the peripheral questions, we can see that the objective is a lot more ambitious.
- Do you have a traditional job?
- What is your professional position?
- Do you make more money than I do?
- What is your social standing?
- Can I benefit from adding you to my circle of friends / business partners?
If my answer is: I am a senior software developer in a medium-sized company, then I can safely be placed in a labelled box, and we can all be comfortable. The reasoning for categorizing me into a box will be as follows:
Senior… that’s impressive, and software. Hmm… medium-sized company… still, he is probably making about $xyz per year, which is more than I am making, so I should stick with him, so I can impress other people.
On the other hand, if my answer is: I work from home, helping people secure their future, by educating them about the benefits of residual income as related to network marketing, then I am all of a sudden box-less. Most of the peripheral questions cannot be comfortably answered, and further questions are necessary. In this case the reasoning will be along the lines of:
Wow – that was a mouthful. I wonder what that means. It sounds a bit wishy-washy. Wait, he mentioned working from home and network marketing. It must be like a hobby then. But, he is actually wearing a set of decent clothes, so he must be making some money. I am not sure if I should add him to my social circle yet – I need more information…
The next question will in all likelihood be: So, how much money does that make for you? This question in isolation is what would be considered a social faux pas. Technically, it will provide answers to the same peripheral questions as listed above, but it is too direct as an initial question. As a follow-up question, it is acceptable, if it has already been “established” that the subject is not earning their money from a real job.
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A job is by definition something that requires physical exertion, or which places limitations on how you can spend your time, in exchange for a salary. If you are making serious money without physical exertion, and you don’t seem to have any limitations on your spare time, then it can’t be a job.
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A hobby is something you do in your spare time, either from home, or from some other place of your choosing. It may require physical exertion, but the point is that it is something you do because you think it is fun. Some people do get paid for their hobby, but the general feeling is that you can’t earn serious money from something you enjoy doing.
The truth is that if you are in a traditional job, then you are normal, you are not trying to be different, and your income and social standing can be predicted from your role and position in your job. In the case where you are not in a traditional job, then you are most definitely different, your income and social standing can mostly not be predicted, and you are likely to attract envy from anyone who is in a traditional job (especially if you are making a lot of money, and you are having fun as well).
Do you have a hobby that involves any kind of network marketing? Are you interested in becoming more successful with your hobby (with less limitations and more spare time)? Success in 10 Steps is a free e-book written by Michael Dlouhy, which will set you on the right path to be able to earn a serious income from your hobby. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
I enjoyed this post; there was so much truth in it! As soon as something is regarded as a ‘hobby’, it immediately drops about three quarters down the careers/activities ladder; obviously, if you enjoy doing what you are doing, then it cannot be worth much! This is an attitude worth pondering; has the idea that work (i.e ‘real’ work) must have an element of ‘enslavement’ or ‘enforced negativity’ always been in vogue or is it something that has surfaced over the past few decades with the increase of leisure time (and hobby activities)? Is it possible that the attitude has its roots in our Puritanical past where, if anything was enjoyable, it was most probably sinful? Perhaps the only way around this problem is to discard the word ‘hobby’ and replace it with another word or, as in your case, a phrase, ‘working-from-home’, which, most probably because of the inclusion of the word ‘working’, gives the concept a completely new meaning.
Very interesting and very true. people tend to judge other by their work and social status and how much they earn. Not on how the way they treat others and and the true nature of an individual.
Thanks for sharing :0
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Another great post. Strange how our social status is labeled because of our entrapment to a job (”real” job) with little pay for the work that is exerted in most cases. But when you mention that you are having fun and making money as a net”work” marketer you are all of a sudden a second class citizen. Perhaps this is because people have been duped and robbed of their hard earned money to join these so called network marketing, make money easy scams. Truth is not all network marketing companies are scams. You just need to learn the skills to know how to think and react to the opportunities that are out there. As Peter has mentioned, reading Success in 10 Steps is a good starting point. Gain the knowledge and skills that area a must if you ever want to succeed in Network Marketing. We read it and it turned our business around 360*. Now we are making money instead of handing it over to the scammers. Go ahead..read the ebook. It is like a training manual that should be provided by every network marketing company before you join.
Thanks for this post Peter.