Heavy Is The Head

Happy Birthday! Yet you didn't choose to be born. What happens next is unfortunate. That's because, unfortunately, everything that follows is up to you.

If you sit with that reality for a while and come back, it's understandable. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, or so they say. The question becomes, will you wear the crown or let the crown wear you?

Are you confused yet? It is a confusing construct. This life we live has no guarantees. Sure, you'll have heard about "god given" freedoms, our inherent rights, and different terms indicating guarantees. They're all an illusion.

The only guarantee coming from existence is your right to pursue happiness. Even that isn't guaranteed until you're older. While it was in the older times that you could start pursuing happiness, chasing your goals, and working at a much younger age, by today's standards, chasing your future begins in high school. Until you're out of high school, you're limited in what you can and can't do.

That doesn't mean you can't start to seize your crown while in high school. But most aren't doing that. Most don't know what they want to do when they grow up, and some don't find their way for many years after adulthood.

It isn't fair! Boo Hoo! It sucks that nobody told you the things you'd need to do to achieve that elusive dream of happiness. If you could have picked your parents, maybe you'd have picked ones that would have mentored you better. Would you have studied harder, been focused, and found your passion?

Hell, maybe you'd have listened to those lessons people tried to impart to you and used them well. Hindsight is 20/20! It's only for Monday morning quarterbacking, but it's nice to think about what could have been.

There comes a point when what could have been no longer matters. You can wear what could have been around your neck, letting it hold you back, or you can set it aside and leave it behind you. It's easier to wear it, to let it change your future, and suffer for doing so. The hard part is putting it behind you.

At any point in life, a person can choose to rise. A person can choose to be the king of their story. Remember, it's the pursuit of happiness that we're guaranteed. But no more.

Whether you aspire to a simple existence or one that's more grandiose, you can work to cover the basics of each. It's about deciding what you want, recognizing what matters to you and what aligns with your values, and then taking action.

From a nice, easy, successful existence to one of abundance and comfort, it's all up to you. Who wants to be a millionaire? Who wants to be able to live life on their terms? One of the ways that we get there is by having an income.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could have an income without actively working for it? It would! If you answered any other way, stop reading.

How do you earn without actively working for it?

Passive Income

Passive income takes some work, but it comes from putting things like property, money, or expertise to work for you. Why aren't more people doing this? Don't we all have some expertise in something?

Teenagers are making fortunes online as influencers. People are making healthy six-figure incomes utilizing sites like OnlyFans and Fantime. Gamers have started successful YouTube channels. There are endless ways to create a passive income from the comfort of your home. It has to be of value, of course.

Passive income, according to the IRS, is when you make money from something where you're not materially involved in the day-to-day. Take sites like Vocal and Medium for example. You create a piece of content and publish it on their platform. Once it's there it can be found and read, generating a small amount of money or royalty. You benefit from the income but you're not materially involved in the day-to-day of the platform.

Ideas for Passive Income

What are some passive income ideas, if you're newer to the concept?

1. Content Creation: Take your passion for a particular topic and turn it into a blog or YouTube channel. It'll take some work but it can be a powerful way to create a passive income. Think about where you're passions align with the content market. What do you know that others would benefit from?

2. Digital Assets: Consider photography, music, and stock images that can be sold or licensed for sale. While the initial creation might take time, the passive income potential is there. Royalty-free stock photos can be sold infinitely, providing a long-term income stream without additional work.

3. Digital Products: Consider forming a course, an e-book, or if you're able, a piece of software. Digital products have a high potential for passive income. Platforms like Amazon KDP, the App Store, and Udemy allow you to create something once and sell it repeatedly, with little to no ongoing effort.

4. Real Estate: Often thought of as the top of the passive income streams, investing in real estate can lead to worthwhile incomes.

There are many ideas for creating a passive income. These can be done in a person's spare time, or if they're not employed a person can commit their time to creating their own thing. Many people want to create and do their own thing.

The kings of our world are those who live on their terms. They aren't bound by schedules set by other men. They aren't slaving away for a pittance and making someone else's dreams come true.

From the point you're born, there is a limited amount of time before things get harder. If nobody is telling you that then they're doing you a disservice. Now that you're an adult, you realize why people told you not to grow up too fast. Adulting sucks.

But you can choose to build your kingdom. Make it what you want it to be. Whether it's a quiet log cabin in the woods and the solitude of nature, or it's a mansion, it's all up to you. If your kingdom needs work, then it's time to put your crown on and be the king. How will you know?

How happy are you? If not perfectly happy, then it's time to get to work your highness.