A few days ago, someone on social media (this person calls himself a "6-fig entrepreneur" which means this "entrepreneur" states he makes over $100K a year which is a flat out lie for a variety of reasons) posted this photo below, along with a statement about everyone getting comfortable doing what's easy, rather than what is difficult, and how he has achieved so much:
First, I want to point out how incredibly inaccurate this photo is when compared to reality. No job, unless you are salaried (and this is for a single year, not over the course of a decade or more), stays completely 100% stagnant month after month. And even then, there are increases (and other incentives) over the years and decades. Also, for $2500 a month comes out to $625 a week (given a 4-week month). Divide that by 40 hours is $15.62 or so an hour. And so many jobs now offer that as a minimum wage. Minimum! When I was in high school, I made a fraction of that an hour for my grocery store job. And if you wanted to make more money, apply toward a higher paying position or job. You may have to work two or three jobs to provide for yourself and your family too, or even have a side hustle to bring in some money. But the top line is highly inaccurate and should be angling upward and to the right.
Second, the bottom half of the photo is equally as inaccurate, if not more. No business can sustain a growth trajectory of "up and to the right" all the time. All business goes in cycles, even small businesses. I work for a multi-billion-dollar company and its sales growth looks like a roller coaster over the months, years, and decades.
I hire a gentleman to mow my lawn. That is his business. A side hustle turn full-time gig. He used to work a full-time job years ago and mowed lawns on the side, but the growth in his business over the years has earned him the freedom to do it full-time. I can only speculate, but if one was to review his financials and chart it on a graph, he has a HUGE spike in the summer months for cash flow and a much less one during the rest of the year. Now, this guy also has other side gigs in his business, from snow removal to vehicle detailing, to keep cash flowing during the "off" season, but the bulk of his business is during the summer when he mows lawns.
I am all for thinking positively and motivating yourself to better your life. Why do you think I get up at the butt crack of dawn and write EVERY SINGLE DAY? If you were to chart the cash flow for my writing business, it goes in cycles, much like a roller coaster too. But I'm not going to lie, to call myself a "6-fig author" just to try impress others who don't give a rip about me. Who am I trying to prove? No one. Also, I'm not going to boast about how much money I'm making. Seriously, it's none of your goddamned business.
When it comes to business and money, keep it to yourself. Seriously. Keep. It. To. Yourself. Celebrate the wins quietly and, if you have to, only with your very closest loved ones. Again, only if you have to. Most of the time, I do not. Whatever you do, don't boast online about what HUGE business you're doing when it's a complete lie.
