How to Make a Living and Earn Money Honorably

Making a living and earning money is no trivial task. Obtaining money often requires much sweat. Of course, some people revert to less-than-honorable means to acquire wealth. However, we should all try to adhere to honorable guidelines in providing a way to maintain our and our family's sustenance.

Adapt with less money. If you choose to make less money, that is your choice. You should be proud of that choice too. Perhaps you want to spend more time enjoying life, pursuing your hobbies, or playing with the kids. In such an instance of having less money (although it could also be because of a low-paying job), then you must try to make ends meet. 

In terms of the natural laws of the world, I'm sure we're all very familiar with the "what goes in must come out" situation. Therefore, there is an input and output in many aspects of our lives. In a word processor, we input by typing in our notes and output by seeing them on a monitor or as a printout on paper. Money can similarly be thought of as income and "outcome," or expenses. Although we may not be able to control the adage of what goes in must come out, it is quite possible to control the relative quantities of both sides. 

Perhaps one of the most striking examples of this is the anoxic turtle. These creatures can bury themselves in the mud for periods as long as up to six months. How do they do this? They regulate their metabolism, or how quickly they use up their energy, by lowering the biochemical reactions that result in consumption of energy in the form of food. In other words, by living in conditions without oxygen in the mud, the food that they have ingested does not get depleted as rapidly because they are able to down-regulate their metabolism. 

Create items of value. If you are interested in setting up a business to sell or a product or service, just remember this point about what people want: You should try to create items (product or service) of value to people. For example, anything that can make people's lives easier are generally well accepted. 
Just take a look at the word processor. It's not hard to see that the word processor makes typing out a document much easier than on a typewriter, so people gladly embrace it, bring it into their lives, and use it. Another item of value to people is something that can make people happy. For example, movies and novels are big sellers because people feel relaxed and at ease when they watch or read such stories. It is, perhaps, a form of escape from the world of trouble (see Solving Problems). 

Take control of your work life. The other side of the coin from running a business is to work for someone. It generally is quite difficult to find a job that is satisfying, others appreciate your work, and you are not sabotaged by others. It is just human nature that working conditions generally surround us in quite monstrous conditions. However, for those of you who have found such satisfying work, congratulations. For those of you who have not, do not give up. You may search for a better job. A perfect job may not exist, but at least you may be able to find a job better in many respects than your former job. While at your present job, though, do not just do the minimal amount of work. Try to learn from every situation and every task. Try to learn as many things as possible. It will make you a more well-rounded individual, and perhaps even help you for promotions, or for applying to other jobs.

Explore avenues with little or no competition. For example, if engineers rarely become teachers, and you would like to become a teaching engineer, that would mean that you have little or no competition for those sorts of jobs. Opportunities can be found in any occupation and anywhere. You just need to be a bit creative sometimes in finding out about those niches with little or no competition. It is much easier to apply to those positions than to positions that many other people know about and are trying to apply to also. This is not to tell you to stop striving for the best positions. However, do be realistic because whether or not someone hires you is quite subjective, and the more high-quality competition you get, the more difficult it is for you to land that position. Thus, the best route to go is to lean toward the unconventional jobs of your occupation. Even if you are planning to go into business, the same holds true. You should lean toward the unconventional market of your type of business so that there is less competition.

Stay relaxed.  Do take it easy. Do not stress yourself out. If you feel that the stress is too overwhelming, you may want to seek support from a crisis line, or discuss with family and friends what your options are. There generally are many options open to us. In fact, even if you were to get fired, it may actually open doors and opportunities to you that you had not envisioned because you were so caught up in your work before. 


Invest in quality. Often, we forget the big picture and only look at a narrow frame. If we are fortunate to one day make enough money for maintaining our family and perhaps even have some surplus, then we should be investing that money wisely. Don't mistaken this for a lesson on how to buy stocks. Instead, you should invest the money in high-quality items that you feel will bring you a good return in the future. For example, if you believe that learning how to play the piano will make you an all-rounded person and there is a high-quality piano teacher that you would like to take lessons from, by all means take those lessons if you have the money. This is not to suggest that you do not save money. However, you may want to use a tiny fraction of the money investing in opportunities that will make a significant difference to your future quality of life.  

In summary, in your quest to make a living, keep in mind these points:

A. Adapt with less money.
B. Create items of value.
C. Take control of your work life.
D. Explore avenues with little or no competition.
E. Stay relaxed.
F. Invest in quality.

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