At 16 I thought I had my life figured out.
I knew I wanted to become a freelancer because I hated the idea of having a boss, of constantly being told what to do, and of having little to no time for myself. I wanted to be free, to be my own boss and to do whatever the hell I wanted all the time, without anyone else telling me how I should live my life.
Little did I know that that idea was not really mine. It was part of me because I got it from a multitude of videos, articles, and books that promoted it so much that it seemed the only way to live a good live. I only wanted what other people told me I should want, and I wasn't even aware of it.
After working for around 6 years as a freelancer and struggling with money, I finally got to a point that forced me to get a normal job - not only did I not have any money at any time, but I also worked so much and so hard that I got some warning from my heart at the age of 22. I started getting ugly palpitations in which my heart would "stop" for around 2-3 seconds and then would beat strongly once, getting me dizzy, and then resuming its normal pace.
After going to the hospital to get checked out, and after my results came and I was told that I was perfectly healthy (weirdly too healthy for my sedentary life), I went to my family doctor who told me it was probably because of stress, overwork and anxiety.
And he was right. Once I stopped working for 12 hours a day and started relaxing a bit more, my heart went back to normal. Once I got my normal job and started getting paid better, some of my anxiety regarding my financial situation went away, and so things got even better. Eventually, I stopped having hearth "problems".
But there's one thing that I don't regret at all that resulted from freelancing, and it's the hard work I put into creating some passive sources of income for myself. The plan was the have enough of them to not have to work anymore, but even though that failed, I didn't throw out my work. I kept it there, checking on it once in a while, but focusing on my normal job and my life.
I mentioned many times in the past my profiles on both Graphic River and Creative Market, the two places where I uploaded design packages that I made during my freelancing years. Those two websites have been my main occupation for a very long time, and I don't regret it at all.
While during my freelancing time it was hard to make any sales, and I was constantly anxious about making enough at the end of the month to be able to pay bills, once I got my job and started getting paid, both websites become simply a way for me to make some pocket money to spend on things I wanted or needed, without any effort.
That's when it hit me - that's the main point of passive income, at least at the beginning. It's hard to get to the point where you don't have to work anymore because you're making money while you're sleeping, and it can take quite some time. However, working on your passive income sources can help you make a little extra money on the side while you're working on your day to day job.
Some months I made an extra $100 or more from those websites, while other months I made nothing. But whatever the result was, it didn't bother me at all, because I wasn't working at all on the side to make that money. I worked really in the past hard for some time, but after that all I had to do was check the websites once in a while to see whether someone bought anything.
That's when passive income started being fun, when I already had a job and my other gigs were getting me extra money on the side. Working on that passive income can take a very long time and it can be really unsuccessful for quite a while, and that's why it's not always a good idea to focus on that and nothing else, thinking you'll "make it" like all those people who live without working.
Don't get me wrong - passive income is great. I love getting extra money for something I worked on years ago. However, it's a great thing to have once you're already making enough money to sustain yourself. It's a great way to improve your financial situation in the long run and to decrease the amount of anxiety you feel every month after you spend a lot of your money on necessities - because you know you might receive more from other sources.
Not only that but if you're smart enough with your money you can be more financially secure than you think. Saving most of what you make out of your passive income sources will help you build a good savings account for darker days, or a budget that you can use to invest into something important to you.
Whatever the reason is, passive income is a great idea. However, you should be very conscious of your financial situation and of the fact that building any passive income may take quite a lot of time. If you're in need of money, it might be a good idea to focus on fixing that first, and working on your passive income sources in your free time.