The Reality of Work, Opportunities, and Family: Struggling to Make Money in a Capitalist World

[00:00:10] What up potty people and welcome back to Clipped. As always, I'm Eric your host and Clipped brings you the tips, resources, and people to help you crush your content goals online. I'm here to help. Let's grow that podcast, that YouTube channel, those side hustles. Thank you for listening to the show.

[00:00:30] Today, what's today? January 14th. It's been a hell of a week, you guys. As in last week, bleeding into this week. But as many of you know, I live in Los Angeles and we got hit with, I don't know the statistics, but one of the biggest, certainly one of the most damaging fires of all time.

[00:00:56] The Pacific Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire. There was actually a fire up by me, too, called the Hearst Fire, maybe about four or five miles away, didn't get evacuated or anything, was in the warning zone. Family and everybody's safe. Parents are safe. They live in Los Angeles as well. Friends are safe. Although, I do have some, I guess I would say, loose friends that did lose a house.

[00:01:26] And a client whose house survived the Pacific Palisades Fire, although there's major smoke damage. Just checking in to tell you that it has been insane. And the town of Pacific Palisades is essentially gone.

[00:01:44] It's almost like, I haven't driven there. Well, you can't drive over there, I don't think, unless you live there. But it's literally like an apocalypse. It's insane, the damage. I've never quite seen anything like that from a fire. And we get fires. Almost every year, there's at least a couple fires. Never really to this extent.

[00:02:05] So that's why I'm kind of shook. But just an update on that. That's kind of where my head space has been at. And it's been wild because I feel like since maybe halfway through December, I kind of checked out mentally. Because kind of everybody checks out in that, like, you know, lead up to Christmas and the holidays. And then, you know, that continues on through New Year.

[00:02:29] And then last week, more or less the first week of January, like, kind of back where everyone's like, all right, back to the office, back to work. We had a nice little break. But since it was like the week of the fires, yeah, I mean, I was working.

[00:02:44] And I did what I needed to do. But it was just a weird time. And it seems like finally, this is as of recording this Tuesday, January 14. As of yesterday, the 13th, just now feel like I'm like, finally, and even yesterday was tough, but like finally back in the swing of things with work and just my head space. Yeah, it's just been interesting. It's been I feel like it's I've been kind of checked out for almost a month. So yeah, I'm back. I just want to give you an update of like kind of where I've been at.

[00:03:13] Honestly, it's been devastating. I think everyone in Los Angeles's headspace has been similar to mine with that lead up to Christmas and the long break and now the fires, they're still burning. But I think I haven't turned on the news really much lately. But I think everything's kind of in control now. Several of them are actually like contained, like they're not burning anymore. Dude, at one point, it was the it was the Altadena, the Eaton fire, the Palisades fire.

[00:03:41] Then someone lit one in the Hollywood Hills, the Sunset fire. Then there was the Hearst fire out by me. Then the Kenneth fire out and also pretty close to me in the valley in West Hills. There was actually one started very close. What was that called? It got put out really quick.

[00:04:04] Let's see. It was called anyway, the Archer fire. That's what it was called. So there was actually two by me that Archer fire being the closer one. They put that out quick, didn't get any structures. It was mostly in the hills. But anyway, guys, I'm back. Just wanted to give you an update on that. Hopefully, more positive things to come as we start this year. And that's what I'm doing now with this episode. Actually, this episode could be considered negative.

[00:04:31] So I actually recorded this maybe like two weeks ago. And this is actually a rant. I'm going to start doing more rants here and there. And they're not meant to be like negative. It's just kind of like when I get on some kind of role and I get fired up about something that I see.

[00:04:47] And it's not like I'm not talking politics or anything. This is actually like creator based. This episode today is I got triggered. I watched this content creator that I follow and I'm not going to say who they are, but they dropped this big video about like how they had to take this big sabbatical because like they were no longer their business was no longer like going in a direction that aligned with them.

[00:05:16] And although they had made seven figures like this person had made over a million dollars in the past, but like they didn't feel right about it and they were burned out and stressed and they took a year off and they shut down the business and now they're back. When they were back, when they were back, when they were back, they got all pumped up and I started saying like yes to all these opportunities and they got all these like offers for brand deals to the tune of, I think it was $250,000.

[00:05:46] It was what they said in the video of opportunities they had to create content. And it pissed me off because it's like, dude, that's a substantial amount of money. All everyone listened to this, including myself probably would kill for that. And it's like you're, and they turned it down. So, so this $250,000, they came back from this sabbatical and they were like depressed because they didn't like what they were doing, but they were crushing it monetarily.

[00:06:14] And now they're back and they're fired up and they immediately got all these offers and started crushing it. And then they turned it all down because like they didn't feel, and they weren't doing anything like shady or anything. They didn't feel that like they were aligned with their purpose and their coach told them like, you have to go with like where your heart is and this and that. And I see it a lot in the female coaching space, all these coaches, like they try to get you to like, to like your true North star and you have to follow like this vision.

[00:06:43] But dude, it's like, I don't know if it's because I'm a little older now and I have a family. It's like, dude, we do what we do. Most of us work nine to five. Some of us are business owners. It's like, dude, we would kill for an opportunity like that. And you're telling me just because it like didn't really feel right or feel right. Or like you didn't fully like the opportunity that you were given a hundred percent. You had some reservations about it and you turned down $250,000. Like, come on, who does that?

[00:07:11] Like, yeah, I like what I do. I own the podcast Haven, the production company, and I create content as well and make a little bit of money for that. And yeah, a lot of days I don't feel like working and I question whether what I'm doing is right or like, am I going down the right path?

[00:07:27] But it's like, dude, at the end of the day, we want money to feed our families, take care of ourselves. And like, yeah, if I get an opportunity of $250,000 and maybe it's not quite, I don't love every aspect of like the gig and like what I'm required to do.

[00:07:42] It's like, fuck yeah, I'm going to take that. Sure. I might not love every minute of it. Or maybe I have to do something that makes me like puts me out of my comfort zone. It's like, dude, that's how you grow anyway. Like take an opportunity. You never know like what you're going to learn from it. Sure. It might not be the greatest opportunity.

[00:08:00] But if they're paying you like that kind of money, it's like, you better take that because one, you're going to learn. It's going to teach you something, especially if you're out of your comfort zone. Like that's going to put you, that's just going to make you stronger, more life experience and more like, you know, harden you to deal with situations in life that you might not like.

[00:08:22] Like, and you're getting paid. It's like, dude, I feel like she was telling, it was a girl and she was telling all her people this and this and that. And like people in the comments were like cheering her on. It's like, no, dude. I don't know. It's like, dude, that kind of money, like take it and run, do the job. You're not out there like digging ditches or like out fighting these fires. Like you're doing something like content related, especially in this example, it was content related.

[00:08:52] Okay. So it's like, maybe, yeah, maybe I probably wouldn't go work at a slaughterhouse for like a month for like some gig. This is just going off right now, but like some weird gig that like I was super uncomfortable or it seemed kind of shady or something. This was just like content creation to like make that money. And I just thought it was doing us a disservice myself, probably you too, like to tell people to like turn that down or like explain why you did and like kind of influence people.

[00:09:22] It's like, no, dude, we all want to make that money, take care of ourselves and our families and set our kids up. I mean, that's life changing money for me. If I just got a check like that, this was several gigs, content creation, like brand deals that added up to 250 total. It's like, you're telling me all I got to do is make some videos and talk about like X, Y, and Z. Yeah. Maybe it's not my favorite brand. Maybe it's a food that I like don't really eat, but I've kind of ate it and it was okay.

[00:09:49] Yeah. And maybe I'm compromising my morals a little bit to say that like I tried such and such product or such and such food or whatever. And I, and I did come on. I just thought you suck it up. You do what you got to do. We don't love every aspect of our jobs. If you like it, just, I think I say in the video, 30% more than you hate it. It's a no brainer. Get that money.

[00:10:12] And it triggered me because I want you guys to get opportunities, not turn them down. You got to say no. So you could say yes to the things that light you up. Anyway, guys, here's my rant. I've been going for a long time. So appreciate you listening. The fires are slowly winding down, but it's a goddamn mess over here. I'm okay. Family's okay. Fired up about this. And I think all that time that I had, like I was saying over the break,

[00:10:41] fired me up because I was using that time as like taking a pause from like the production stuff. And I was like, Oh, I can make some videos. And then I saw that. I was like, I got it. I got to say something about this. So here it is guys. The real importance of work life and money and how burnout is not a real thing. Yo, what's up guys?

[00:11:19] Yo, what's up guys? Hopping on here to, so I woke up this morning begrudgingly at like five o'clock because of the kids. And, uh, dude, I opened my email for this content creator. I subscribed to got an email and they were talking about all these things that fired me up. Namely like

[00:11:44] aligning your money making to your values and your brand has to like align with your emotions and the way that you do business and make money has to encapsulate all these like different kinds of things. And I feel like it just one did me a disservice and maybe you a disservice and that's why I'm bringing it up.

[00:12:09] And it's like this idea of like these people that push this narrative of like, I was feeling burnt out because my business or my social media no longer like aligned with who I am. And I had to take a step back because I was so burnt out and caught up in the rat race of like trying to make money and, and trying to feel like I was good enough because I'm never good enough.

[00:12:38] And I'm so burnt out and confused. And specifically this person talked about turning down several hundred thousand dollars in sponsorships. And it's like, dude, you know what kind of opportunity that is for the rest of us? Like if we had some kind of offer for several hundred thousand dollars and then we didn't like, that would be incredible.

[00:13:04] And then to not take that because it didn't align or like you weren't feeling good about it in your spirit. That's insane. And so I'm hopping on here to talk about how like, at least for me and maybe some of you, especially those with families and kids, it's like, dude, these people that talk like that are doing us a disservice. Cause like, we're trying to get after it and make money to feed our families and like live a good life.

[00:13:32] And I think that people like talk like that. It's like, dude, we're all fucking burnt out. We're all probably what we're doing. Isn't like 100% what we want to do or like, yeah, there's parts of it that align and there's parts of it that don't. It's like, who gives a shit? Like tough luck. Like we're all in this thing called the world and capitalist societies. And it's like, we want to just make money.

[00:13:59] And so when you talk about like turning down work because you don't feel like emotionally connected to it or like all this talk. It's so like trendy from these gurus and these business coaches. And it's like, you have to keep saying no, no to this and no to that and no to this over here. And then like your, your perfect opportunity will come because you freed up like yourself to say yes to the things that really matter.

[00:14:25] It's like, dude, I do shit I don't want to do all day long, whether it's work, whether it's like stuff with the kids or like cleaning the house or like fixing the backyard. It's like, it's just, I feel like these people don't live in like this reality of like, yeah, we're all struggling. We're probably all a little depressed. Social media has fucked us up. Our phones have fucked us up, which is funny because I'm on my phone filming this. Um, but it's like, yeah, dude, we're all struggling.

[00:14:53] We're all trying to make money and live a good life. And to tell people about like your story of you, you can say no to whatever you want to say no to a couple hundred thousand dollars. That's all good. But it's like, they almost say it from like a place of like being better than you or something. It's like, yeah, then especially in this email, it's like, yeah, they're, they're trying to relate to you and talk about like how you should do the same.

[00:15:19] If you're not feeling good about like your work, it's like, no, most of us aren't fortunate enough or in the position to do that. Like we have to just keep making a paycheck, um, keep working. And I don't know, it's kind of messed up. Right.

[00:15:33] And then the kicker is I'm not saying this person cause I didn't read the whole email, but then they try to like sell you a course on how to get more aligned and how to like make money online and use your social media and blow it up. And you can live like this spiritually free life and make money online. And you don't ever have to like say yes to something that you don't want to do if it doesn't align with your money making purpose.

[00:16:03] It's like, dude, at the end of the day, it's money. We all need it. We all want it. Whether they act like they don't want it or not. It's like, dude, it's just crazy to me. It's crazy that people's like messaging is like that. And then a lot of these people try to sell courses. It's absolutely bonkers. Um, I think people should be talking about making money and saying yes to opportunities. And yeah, it might not be the perfect fucking opportunity at the perfect time.

[00:16:33] Like we're all burnt out. It's life is hard. Like get used to it being hard. And if you have an opportunity, say, of course, guys, and I'm not every single thing you're going to say yes to. But like if it's a pretty good opportunity and you like it, you know, 30% more than you hate it, just say yes to it. Get that experience. You never know where that's going to take you. And just keep grinding it out at work.

[00:17:02] And I'm not even talking about hustle culture, whatever the fuck that is, because people talk about hustle culture online. Um, I'm just talking about making a living. And if there's an opportunity to make money, do it. And you don't have to act like none of this stuff is aligned. And yeah, we're a little bit unhealthy and we should probably stretch more and eat better and work out more. And all those things will help us become like the best version of ourselves. And that helps the money keep flowing in. It's like, does it?

[00:17:32] I feel like when you're chasing this idea of like, it's not perfection, but it's like this idea of like, you're not going to do anything work related that you don't want to do. It's like, dude, look at like most of the rest of the world. No, they don't like their job problem. To be completely honest, they probably don't like it. Or maybe they just don't hate it, but it's a way to make ends meet and they make decent money. It's like, I don't know.

[00:18:01] And then people talk about this emotional journey through entrepreneurship. And like, it's so hard and you don't know which way is up and which direction you're going in. Subscribe to my newsletter because I'll tell you the right way to get all that stuff on track. It's like, dude, nothing is ever on track. Everything is chaos. It's like how well you manage it and the stress.

[00:18:23] Everything is stressful, especially from the ages of like, I don't know, late 20s to like 50 because that's like the prime of like your career and money making. It's like, dude, just do it. Everyone just shut the fuck up and like get to work and do it. And yeah, bitch about it a little bit later to your wife or your friends and have a laugh and talk about the struggle. And we all do it. Like you're meant to work. You wake up every morning. You go to work, whether that's on a business, in an office.

[00:18:55] My allergies and my sinuses are screwed. But it's like, that's just something we all have to do. And yeah, it might not align. Or parts of it might and other parts of it not. But it's like, we don't have to like talk about that so much. I guess that's what it is. It's like talking about that so much. And I specifically see this mostly in like female audiences or like female coaches and gurus. And I'm not knocking them.

[00:19:21] But then they try to like get you into their little ecosystem and like sell you something. And it's like, yeah, I've sold my services of editing and production to people. And I get it. That's part of life. People buy stuff from other people all the time. I just think it's like, they're almost selling. These people are selling like this false like dream of like everything should be like emotionally aligned.

[00:19:50] When it's like, dude, I'm just selling like I'm going to edit your stuff. It's like a simple exchange. You send me your podcast. I'll make it better. I'll fix it. I'll publish it. But it just seems like that's an actual thing versus like this philosophical thing. It's like too much philosophical stuff. And maybe that's what this is. Maybe this is my philosophy to you. Regardless, I just wanted to rant that out and vent that because I'm seeing that a lot.

[00:20:20] And it's so popular in like the coaching space, which I think is kind of dying. Everyone needs a coach. Everyone needs a therapist. And this isn't to say that like you're really struggling and you're really miserable in your life with your family, your kids and your job. And it's super not aligned. And it's like literally destroying your life. Then I get it. Then you might want to find something that like resonates more within you and like things that you like.

[00:20:49] And maybe it's related to your hobbies and your passions and all that. But get that help if you need it. And I've been in a dark place before, so I get it. And I've done lots of therapy, years of therapy. And I'm not perfect. I'm all screwed up inside. But we all are. That's the thing. And it's like chasing this perfection. It's like they talk about how they're not a perfectionist.

[00:21:17] And like their work was making them become one. But then it's like when they talk about trying to be all like spiritually good and aligned inside, it's almost like it's a different kind of perfection. But in any case, guys, that was my rant for today. I got nothing else really to say. Just keep chugging along. Keep making that content. Get the help when you need it.

[00:21:47] Take care of yourself. Exercise. Drink water. Take deep breaths. And work on changing things. And just go in a direction. Go in a direction. And if you're having success in that direction, continue to do so. And try to reframe the negative and the stress into something else. Or just use tools to de-stress. But nothing's perfect. Life is hard. A lot of parts of it are going to suck. A lot of parts of it are going to be great.

[00:22:16] Try to maintain the same type of mindset through all of that. This is especially true for you business owners, content creators. There's so much stuff online that just clouds the brain. Just keep going in the direction you're going in. Keep looking up. Keep chin up. Look for opportunities. Just keep fighting. And don't worry about this guru nonsense. I'm out.