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Creating vs. Consuming

Are you a creator or a consumer? Yes, of course we all are both. We buy groceries and clothes, we watch movies, read books and surf the Internet. At the same time we are also creators. At work we obviously create value (otherwise no one would pay us). Also, maybe you have some creative hobbies or your own blog or podcast.

Whenever you consume something, there is someone who has created it. On the other side, when you create something, someone should ideally consume it.

Consuming

Why do we consume? Often is it just a necessity, for example if we buy food or pay for shelter. Sometimes, it is convenient and nice to have, for example if we go to the cinema or have a nice dinner at a restaurant. And sometimes, it is just too much, for example if we watch TV for five hours every day just because we are bored.

Consuming is neither good or bad. It depends on your very own perspective and on how helpful it is for achieving your goals.

Investing

Instead of consuming, rather try to go for investing. What is the difference? In financial terms investing is spending money with the objective to get more money in return. We can apply this to our goals as well.

If you want to open a restaurant and you have a clear (yet simple) business plan you might need to invest some money in order to get your business started. Sure, this is clear, but investment goes much beyond the obvious.

You can also invest in yourself. If you decide to learn Spanish because it will help you with your goal to travel Latin America you invest time and money. If you do sports you invest in your health, if you meditate you invest in your mind, if you work on your goals you invest in your future.

Besides investing in yourself you can also invest in other people. That can be friends, family members, colleagues or mentees. In this case you give back, for example your time, experience and connections. And, most likely, investing in other people is mutually beneficial.

Creating

Many of us have to work for a living. If you work for a company or organization you create value for them and you get your payment in return. Some of us are entrepreneurs or freelancers so they create value for a company they own. In any case, ideally, you perceive your work as meaningful.

But what if you mainly work for the money and you have completely other goals in mind? The answer is easy but the implementation might be hard. You should pursue your own personal goals after work.

What do you usually do after work? Do you relax or watch TV? Or, do you have a creative hobby like writing or knitting? Don’t get this wrong, relaxation is important. However, if you have a goal and you really want to achieve it you will have to work for it. And you will have to make the time to work on it. The good news is that you most likely can.

As mentioned above you need to invest time and maybe money to achieve your goals.

Take Action

Make a plan, take action and work on your goals. You can schedule an hour or two per week to start working on your goals. Start with a plan, take first actions but start.

Let’s say you do something creative, for example you write, you take photos, invent cooking recipes or your draw. This is your hobby. You might think that it would be great to do this for a living instead of your current nine-by-fine job, maybe – someday.

So, how can you get from here to there? You need to find someone who pays you or your hobby. How can you do this? Of course, there might be many things involved. But one thing is clear. You need to make sure people know what you are doing.

Share Your Work

Of course, no one will be able to consume your work if you don’t share it. Potential consumers or even customers need to know about you and your work. Some call it marketing and it is easier than ever.

If you write, create a blog to show parts of your writing. If you create recipes, share them in a blog or podcast or go to communities (online or offline) to share with like-minded people.

Even if your hobby is to play video games you can share your expertise, tips and tricks.

This will probably not be something you can immediately live on. However, your audience will recognize you as an expert in your field. Even if you do not feel like an expert yourself. If you know more in your field than most other people in your specific (niche) field you are an expert.

Share your knowledge and build your audience. This is the foundation for building your business out of your hobby. It might still be a long way though.

If your field is too broad, try to narrow it down. For example do not call your blog “Cooking Recipes” but rather “Cook Healthy Meals for Families in Under 30 Minutes”.

You might also combine different fields. For example if you write poems and you like drawing, start a blog where you combine both.

If you feel your work is not good enough, do not worry a lot of famous authors or painters start from imperfection. If you are still in doubt use a synonym instead of your real name.

Start Now

Yes, we mentioned this before, but start now. Create your (very simple) goal plan or your business plan if you will. Then go ahead and share your work.

We are looking forward to learning what you are doing. If you like, let us know.

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