Passive Income Is the New Status Symbol
Our parents lived the old dream — and failed. Now we’re questioning everything.
Modern society loves addicted people. Shopaholics are great, information junkies even better.
Addicted people are disoriented consumers. And consumers are great for the economy.
It’s surprisingly easy to make consumers happy — give them a “safe” 9–5 job, a Netflix account, and keep releasing a new iPhone every year.
In our consumer-driven society, a small minority of tech billionaires, Wallstreet managers, and politicians are running the planet. They’re exploiting humanity by turning powerful individuals into brainless consumers.
But underneath the surface, their system is starting to crumble.
Creators Need Assets, Not Liabilities
“As technology gets better, why does my life keep getting harder?”
People are starting to ask unpleasant questions. They’re fed up with the consumer trap and desperately crave a meaningful life.
At the forefront of this movement, we have the creator economy — a group of entrepreneurs who make a living as independent content creators, bloggers, community builders, artists, coaches, or software developers. Creators live frugally and focus on their craft. They value their freedom over anything else.
But there’s a problem — creators need time and money to live a creative life. An artist rarely gets creative when he’s under financial or timely constraints.
So, creators need regular earnings while they’re working on their passion projects. In other words, they need passive income streams without doing “active work”.
You can generate passive income by building or investing in cash-flow assets that work for you— online courses, paintings, SaaS apps, self-made bags, rental property, or stock dividends.
Now, from a naive perspective, passive income is about getting rich — but it’s so much more than that.
The Great Disillusionment
Our parents lived the old dream — they worked hard, bought their house, and now are unhappy with their lives.
We don’t want to end up like them, so we’re questioning everything they’ve created:
Pension system: Ask any millennial, and he will tell you that he doesn’t believe his pension is safe. Uncertainty has become the new normal. It’s time to take care of yourself.
Retirement: What does a career mean in a world where retirement is a distant dream? We need meaningful work that lasts beyond retirement.
Mainstream Media: Modern media isn’t designed to inform you, but to distract you. Their main goal is to turn you into a powerless consumer.
The Corporate World: Almost everybody wants a successful career. But we don’t want to sell our souls to the corporate world, suffer from several burnouts, and destroy planet earth along the way.
Entrepreneurship: Let’s face it, building a startup is extremely stressful and risky. Becoming a tech billionaire sounds nice, but working 100 hours a week isn’t a reasonable option for most of us.
So what’s the solution to all of this?
Change Around the Corner
Globalization left us empty inside. We’re finally accepting the fact that we need a counter model.
We’re in a huge dilemma. On one hand, we have more opportunities than ever — there’s so much to experience, learn, and explore. On the other hand, there’s not enough time to fulfill our grandiose dreams. We’re just too damn busy.
In my opinion, embracing the creator’s journey is the first step towards a humble yet meaningful life. As soon as you own your craft, you’ll own your life. And when you own your life, being a passive consumer will bore you to death. You‘ll feel inner satisfaction that will affect your family and community in a positive way.
So, instead of being lost in the rat race lifestyle, you can slowly build a portfolio of small assets that are centered around your skills, interests, and talents. It’s like owning mini versions of startups that keep generating passive income for you.
Passive income gives you a financial buffer to experience life to the fullest. To take a break from the noisy world around you. Or to go on a 3-month road trip with your family.
Bottom Line
Now, let me be clear, not everybody will be able to generate a passive income (that’s why it’s called a status symbol). It takes grit, intelligence, and consistency to make it work.
But once you’re there, passive income will give you predictability in a highly uncertain world. It will prove that you’re an active creator.
In the 20th century, sports cars, suburban houses, and expensive watches used to be status symbols.
In today’s creator economy, it’s passive income. Passive income will fuel a life full of meaning and exploration, free from financial and timely constraints.
