This is a guest post by Pat from The Smart Passive Income Blog. Please check out his blog and consider subscribing to his RSS Feed.
When I was asked to write a guest post on Passive Family Income, I was thrilled because PFI has been a regular read of mine since I started my blog a few months back. I’ve been lucky enough to be on the receiving end of some really nice comments from PFI, so it’s an honor to have the opportunity to hopefully add some helpful and thoughtful content of my own.
What comes to mind when you hear the words “passive income”? Money, automation, the Internet? I bet the word “family” isn’t at the top of your list, but it should be.
I know that family is really important to all of us, and if we had a choice to work hard all day and never see our loved ones, or earn a passive income and spend more time with them, there’s no doubt which one we’d rather do.
In order to get to that point, however, there is a vital ingredient to your passive income success that you must realize: the support of your family. It’s funny because while you’re trying to create passive income streams to support your family, it can’t really happen without your family’s support.
Passive Income is Hard for Some to Understand
Earning a passive income takes a lot of hard work at the beginning, and a lot of time and patience as well. This makes it hard for many people to understand why we’re sitting in front of our computer all day, or working on projects that don’t currently produce any income.
The world is unfortunately used to the idea that X hours = Y dollars. The more hours you work, the more money you make. True in 9 to 5 land, but that sucks.
In the passive income world, you put in some hard work, but your income can continue to grow even after you stop because it’s not limited to how much time you spend working – just the quality and preparedness that you put into your work.
I’m a very lucky person because my fiancée understood that I needed to work hard in order to spend more time with her later, and she fully supported me right from the start. I put in the hard work and now earn enough money so that both of us don’t have to work 9 to 5 jobs. We can spend more time with each other and devote our time to fully planning our upcoming wedding. I would not have been able to work if I knew I was doing something that she thought was a waste of time. For her support I am forever thankful.
If You Don’t Have Complete Support
If you have family or friends that have a hard time understanding exactly why you’re “wasting time online”, it could be because they’ve been so engulfed in their 9 to 5 jobs that they don’t realize the opportunities and rewards that can come from working for yourself online. It’s not their fault; so don’t get mad at them for that.
Other times, we don’t receive complete support from our family because we’re doing things that are completely new to them, or something that isn’t of “the norm.” It’s your job to explain to them exactly what you do and how everything works. Educate! If you’re not quite sure how to explain it, well then you’d better educate yourself first.
Also, think about what motivated you to start make money online? I recommend that you share this with them too. If you have any examples of success stories, or even if you’ve made a dime from eHow or with Adsense, share that with them and show them it’s possible.
Lastly, genuinely ask for their support. They may not realize how involved and serious you are about what you do online, and a simple request such as this may help them understand that.
I’d like to finish with my favorite quote that motivates me to work hard for a passive income each day: “The harder you work, the luckier you become.”
Thanks everyone!
Related posts:
- The Most Important Reason to Create Passive Income
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This is a great point. I will be forwarding this on to my gf with the hopes that she will understand why I’m putting so much work into my online ventures.
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I would forward this to my wife, but I don’t think she would read it. She accepts, but I don’t think she supports, or really understands what I am doing. Hopefully I will be able to get her to understand and support me in the future. Great post.
Pat, I really enjoyed cruising around your site. I graduated from architecture a few years ago, and am just starting in the online world, so your story rings true. Coincidentally, I’ve had the idea of starting a LEED study site as well.
I’m happy to say that my wife is also very supportive, and can see that although I have been putting in a lot of hours, I’m thoroughly enjoying what I do and it may pay off in the end.
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I really enjoy Pat’s blog and this is a good reminder. I have been blessed with a supportive husband who saw the potential early on in my online ventures and has been very understanding along the way.
My children are great about it, too — sometimes when I’m busy at the computer, they draw up chairs next to me, open their coloring books sideways and pretend to type on the bottom section, announcing cheerfully, “I’m writing eHow articles!”
One thing that’s important to remember is that no matter how busy we are building up future income sources, it;s important to also live in the present and spend lots of time with those whom we love — now.
Maria @ Residual Income Web’s last blog post..Building Passive Income Online: Getting Started
Great article. I started blogging just over 2 months ago and my wife really didn’t understand it at the time. I still don’t think she completely understands it, but she’s become more supportive as I’ve talked to her more about my dreams and goals. I’ve also had to make sacrifices so that my passive income endeavors don’t take away from our time together. This means waking up a lot earlier than I would like to. But without her support, I wouldn’t be able to continue what I’m doing.
Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments, I’m glad you enjoyed the article, and I wish you all the best of luck in the world on your online endeavors.
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Pat, this is great material! First, if you are misunderstood by someone in your family, it’s a good sign that you are doing something right. After all, if you were not taking any steps, why would a close family disagree with you? Second, the important thing is that we definitely be as sensitive and undertanding to our wives or other concerned loved ones as we want them to be with us. Listen to what may be valid, and let the rest go.
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