Not "never again" but "for a while" the option is there for me. For those interested:
> How did you do it?
I've spent the past several years building small products, including a blog and various apps. My latest iPad app made it to the #3 most popular position and has brought in enough money where I wouldn't have to work for quite a while. Though it should be noted part of that is due to the fact I've lowered all my bills (including rent) over the last year.
> What did it feel like when you first realized you wouldn't have to work again (for a while) if you didn't want to?
I'm still torn with this decision almost daily. I have a day job, it's decent and pays well, I like having the structure, but being able to spend my time how I want to spend it seems promising. Realizing I could quit today and not have to worry about money for a while makes the day-to-day pings of things like paying bills, or buying groceries without looking at the amount I'm paying, almost painless.
> How old (are) you?
27
> What was it specifically that made the cash?
Years of work building a dedicated audience, establishing a (small) name for myself in a niche, then making things people can actually use and enjoy. Notably my latest iPad app: Brainbean
> Do you feel happy in your life?
Yes? No? I don't know. The success of my work certainly made me happy for a very short while, but the internal response dies quickly when you realize money isn't everything. Having a lot of money can simply make certain things easier, but it doesn't solve all of your problems (like figuring out what to do with your life).
I hope that's at all insightful.
Also, for those I fear who may be pursuing the "lottery" of "never have to work again" rich: be wary of what you read. It's easy to hype businesses that sell for billions of dollars, or young kids who turn into millionaires "overnight."
It's a dangerous place to be, believing that the news you hear about those types of people/businesses is real. That's not real life. If you really want to be rich, work hard. If you want to be wealthy, think about what you need to do even if you're not rich.
On a related note to my last paragraph, I just stumbled on this quote from David Foster Wallace and found it remarkably relevant:
"I think somehow the culture has taught us or we've allowed the culture to teach us that the point of living is to get as much as you can and experience as much pleasure as you can, and that the implicit promise is that will make you happy. I know that's almost offensively simplistic, but the effects of it aren't simplistic at all."
> How did you do it?
I've spent the past several years building small products, including a blog and various apps. My latest iPad app made it to the #3 most popular position and has brought in enough money where I wouldn't have to work for quite a while. Though it should be noted part of that is due to the fact I've lowered all my bills (including rent) over the last year.
> What did it feel like when you first realized you wouldn't have to work again (for a while) if you didn't want to?
I'm still torn with this decision almost daily. I have a day job, it's decent and pays well, I like having the structure, but being able to spend my time how I want to spend it seems promising. Realizing I could quit today and not have to worry about money for a while makes the day-to-day pings of things like paying bills, or buying groceries without looking at the amount I'm paying, almost painless.
> How old (are) you?
27
> What was it specifically that made the cash?
Years of work building a dedicated audience, establishing a (small) name for myself in a niche, then making things people can actually use and enjoy. Notably my latest iPad app: Brainbean
> Do you feel happy in your life?
Yes? No? I don't know. The success of my work certainly made me happy for a very short while, but the internal response dies quickly when you realize money isn't everything. Having a lot of money can simply make certain things easier, but it doesn't solve all of your problems (like figuring out what to do with your life).
I hope that's at all insightful.
Also, for those I fear who may be pursuing the "lottery" of "never have to work again" rich: be wary of what you read. It's easy to hype businesses that sell for billions of dollars, or young kids who turn into millionaires "overnight."
It's a dangerous place to be, believing that the news you hear about those types of people/businesses is real. That's not real life. If you really want to be rich, work hard. If you want to be wealthy, think about what you need to do even if you're not rich.