Why You Don’t Need Money To Make Money
I went to a tailor today to see if a suit could be adjusted to my size. The woman at the counter was quite honest with me: she said it probably wasn’t worth it. “You’re paying for the labor. Labor is valuable.” She advised me to just find a new suit. The tailor was definitely within earshot at the time, but he didn’t mind at all that she was basically turning away business.
He had plenty of work to do.
It says something about the value of pure human labor when it’s more expensive to fix clothing than it is to replace it. This isn’t the woe of the “consumerist society” or the “disposable economy”. Instead, it’s a sure sign that people, including you, have become valuable assets.
This means that, with basically no capital behind you, you can make money. Your human labor is the most valuable thing you’ve got, and – good news here – you’ve got a lot of it. In fact, you have 8 to 10 hours a day worth of it, if not more. No matter what it is you’re good at, harnessing the potential of your labor means you have to work smarter instead of harder.
Your labor, your potential, is your biggest asset. It’s your biggest form and source of capital. Even in an economic downturn, liquid money is easy to come by when you put yourself to work (like late last year, when Ariana Huffington raised 25 million dollars for her flagship site). And not only is it your ticket to success, it’s your backup plan and safety net.
For just about anyone who can write in English (and probably most other languages too if you look hard enough), there’s a huge range of freelance and temporary writing jobs you can get – and they’re not just in construction any more (despite what Clint Eastwood’s fantastic Gran Torino might lead you to think).
And if you have any other sort of hard skill, it’s probably in demand. The hardest part is finding someone who will pay you to do what you’re good at. But remember, a skill is valuable because of what it produces, and people are always looking for new, amazing ideas.
For those of you who like an employee-style environment, just walk into anyplace you’d like to work and ask about it. Look decent and have something to say about yourself, and you’re halfway there.
For the more adventurous, you can invent something. Or you can blog. There are a whole slew of low-initial-investment areas to explore if you want to get out on your own, so do!
(image credit: Kevin)
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