I talk to a few of my newsletter subscribers on a regular basis.
I was recently talking with someone who, like many people has been dealing with huge amounts of anxiety for the last few years about not having enough money.
He’s been busting his ass to learn affiliate marketing and with a lot of trial and error and some blunt advice from me, he’s consistently making $1000 profit a day.
He turned things around in a big way and you may be thinking to yourself right now that this guy “has it made”, right?
Well, not really.
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Like most of us, he thought that if he could just make enough money, his anxiety would go away. But when he hit $1000/day his anxiety didn’t disappear, it just pivoted, and he started worrying about other things instead.
- He was worried that his campaign was going to die
- He had anxiety about not getting paid by the affiliate network
- He had anxiety about finding an accountant and forming an LLC
- He had anxiety about taxes
He was making $1000/day and had more anxiety than he’d ever had in his life. He successfully chopped the head off of the anxiety monster and another head attacked him from behind.
Money Doesn’t Solve Your Problems
Anyone that has made a bunch of money can tell you, money doesn’t solve all of your problems. This is why it’s frustrating when you hear people say things like “Robin Williams had millions of dollars, he had it made, how DARE he commit suicide!”
What people fail to realize is that money only solves money problems. Everything else stays the same.
When a depressed, anxiety-ridden person makes a bunch of money they’re not fixed. They simply become a depressed, anxiety-ridden person who no longer has to worry about how they’ll pay the electric bill.
If you’re goal in life is to be a multi-millionaire and you think that will solve all of your problems, here are just a few of the anxieties that making money causes that you’re probably not expecting.
- Bookkeeping / Accounting. If you’re like I was, and are used to getting a paycheck every two weeks that already has taxes taken out of it – you’re in for a rude awakening. Managing business finances is a maze for the first few years. You’re going to need to hire a pro to handle your tax filings and bookkeeping.
- Lots Of Taxes. Making a lot of money? Get ready to pay a sh#tload of taxes. Most 9–5 workers don’t feel the real pain of paying taxes because they’re taken out of your paycheck before you get it. But imagine working 20 hours a day for a year and managing to make your first $1 Million and then being told at the end of the year that you have to write a check for $400,000 and give it to the Government.
- “Investment Opportunities”. If you do well be prepared for people to ask you for loans or to invest in their business ideas. You have two options, #1) say yes and risk losing every cent you give them, #2) say no and feel guilty for not helping them out. Either way, you’re screwed.
- Money Management and Asset Protection. You’re also going to need to start thinking about real investments and asset protection. Be prepared for fast-talking financial pros to talk circles around you about why you’re doing everything wrong. It’ll make your head spin.
- “New Friends”. There is a very real bond that is formed between people that have nothing to offer each other. When you make a bunch of money you suddenly become “popular”. 99% of your new friends are looking for a free handout or waiting for a chance to extract as much money from you as they can.
- You Have Time To Deal With Yourself (For Real Now). When you make enough money to quit your job you lose 80% of the distractions in your life. It’s just you – and life. Ever notice how people who make a lot of money get into self-help and meditation? It’s because they’ve realized that money doesn’t fix everything and are forced to seek alternative routes for relief.
Conclusion
Don’t get me wrong. Making a lot of money is definitely not a bad thing. If you’re struggling financially right now you probably have a lot of anxieties that could be solved by a quick influx of cash.
But don’t ever think that making money will make all your problems go away. Money simply shifts your anxieties to other other places that you’ve been too busy to focus on.
The trick is to [tweetable]find happiness wherever you are and be grateful for what you have.[/tweetable] Most anxiety comes from not knowing what is going to happen next… and you can never control that, so try not to worry about it so much.
If you’re currently on the path to riches, good luck, but remember to enjoy every moment along the way because…
Millionaires jump out of windows all the time.
I’ve found that meditation has definitely helped me with anxiety. Still an issue every now and then, but gone are the days of anxiety attacks for stressful moments in life. Great post Malan, always a joy to read.
So true. Money is not the cure to anxiety – certainty is. I love how Anthony Robbins talks about this, and your perspective is great man. Thanks for being an inspiration pal.
Certainty. Great word for what i was trying to say there at the end “Most anxiety comes from not knowing what is going to happen next…” Thanks.
Great post. A real eye opener at what may lie ahead. I’ve been into motivational self help for about 6 years and AM for about 8 weeks. I can’t picture my life without daily motivation. It’s helped me through some really dark times already.
Does motivation work? Yes, but so does bathing. So you need to do it daily. -Zig Ziglar
awesome article Malan. Thanks for sharing this.
thanks for reading Thien
That is why you constantly have to work on self-improvement, learn and find goals that motivate you and use your money and knowledge to help others, build new things and change the world around you.
Malas what you do for your taxes? did you hire someone to take care of that?
of course i have an accountant
what i mean is with big numbers, did you find a way to pay less taxes or you still pay a huge amount?
If you want to reduce your tax liability, it’s best to take advice from a tax specialist (accountant), where you are, because everyone’s situation is different.
@Malan – video of you playing your acoustic guitar was cool!
thanks Pete, i can’t put that thing down.
Anxiety is a bitch. No matter what I do, anxiety and the feeling of hopelessness does not leave me.
I don’t know, maybe all this aff marketing thing makes me lonely. If I had a “real” 9-5 job with real people, maybe that feeling would go away. This way I seat in front of my computer, between 4 walls, every day is the same, and let the anxiety to suck me in like a black hole. But then again the money is nowhere close to IM figures (although I’m still struggling to make money and not to brake even every god damn time).
The only thing that is somewhat helping is not to think about the future but the past, that is, what I accomplished in the past. I read that on a blog recently and it works for now.
Thanks Malan for this post…
hey Nikola – breaking even isn’t a bad thing. Just keep optimizing without abandoning it and you’ll hit profits.
Thanks, I really appreciate your words. I’ll try to stay focused
Real talk Malan. Definitely hits home.
One thing that always helps me when I start thinking down this rabbit hole of all things that can possibly go wrong is perspective. Travel to parts of the world where people are struggling to get by and doing whatever job they can find to survive. It always shows me how good us affiliate marketers have it and that problems are not really that bad.
> campaign going to die? diversify in verticals/traffic sources
> not getting paid? get to know your affiliate manager really well and on a personal level so they are honest and straightforward with any issue that can come up
> finding accountant/LLC? Find a good accountant, pay him well and dont worry about it again
> taxes? good accountant will minimize taxes. Pay what you owe and move on
The point is that these problems are “preferable” over much worse problems and for me anyway I need to reset every few months and come back with a more grounded perspective.
Money buys freedom. What you choose to do with the freedom defines who you are.
thanks Hammad – I agree. And the point is that no matter what problems you have now, when you solve them, you’ll find others to worry about.
I’m just at that point where I realized half of my profits this year goes to the government. Mo money mo problems. Maybe it’s time to move.
Hi Fooder, that really is not good news. I’m based in the UK and I know by being incorporated i.e. Limited Company you can make reasonable tax savings. Not sure where you are based but worth talking to a tax advisor.