Hear Me Out – You Don’t Need A 9 To 5

We have been tricked into believing that we need a 9 to 5 to be able to function as a member of society. Or even to be able to afford a roof over your head, or food. But that just isn’t true. It really isn’t.

I must admit that for a long time I thought a nine to five was the only way. And it was debilitating. Thinking I needed something that I knew did not work for me at all. But then I stopped listening to the people who told me it had to be that way. I stopped listening and decided to find an alternative. And I found it.

This was my journey

For eight years I worked as a subtitler, editor and translator from home. I have certain health issues, and there were years when I didn’t think I would ever be able to support myself financially. I got no help with my health from the healthcare system, so I had to figure things out for myself. I got no help from the unemployment office or social services either. So when I was able to take a course from home and then was able to start earning money from home, that was simply amazing.

It took time to gain enough experience, but I did it. I have worked with many of the largest translation agencies and I have translated all sorts of content for many famous streaming services and businesses. During my best month I earned over €10’000. I never worked nine to five, I never had to commute to an office and I got to choose when I wanted to work, which jobs to accept and which clients I wanted to work with. It wasn’t always easy running a business, keeping up with all the emails as a freelancer – I received about a hundred emails a day – keeping on top of bookkeeping, finding new gigs and earning enough, but I was still able to do it without working full-time.

The pandemic hit

During the pandemic many agencies went bankrupt, stopped working with certain languages or lowered their rates. Then in 2023, more and more agencies started relying on machine translations and AI. You might have noticed how the subtitles on the streaming services have gotten worse. Same with the translations on websites etc.

I worked with a lot of agencies that ended up on my blacklist and I had to work 2-3 times as much to earn enough, so I got burned out. I realised I didn’t want to work for agencies anymore because of the way they treat freelancers, and so I stopped. I decided to take time to rest, to heal and to focus on building wealth through other digital income sources.

Now, I am still a translator and a subtitler, but I use my skills for my own projects instead. I write books, articles and I translate them. When I start creating videos, I will be able to subtitle them with accuracy. And I can still work with clients on the projects I am most interested in. For example, I really enjoy translating, proofreading and editing books, so I’d like to do more of that.

Financial independence

Years ago I made a plan for how I was going to earn money online through various digital income sources. But I had good translation gigs and they came in one after another, so I ended up focusing on them for years. But when I decided to take an extended break from working, I decided it was time to take a look at my old plan. And I am so glad I did. In my plan I had roughly figured out how to create financial independence for myself and which income sources to try and in what order.

I lowered and eliminated many of my expenses, and taught myself to rely less on money and consumerism. I figured out how much money I need to be able to cover my essential expenses and still have some left for spending, saving and investing. And frankly, many spend that amount on food alone. I am very fortunate to be able to live like this, but this isn’t something only I can do. I strongly believe that anyone can do it, but it is important that each person creates a plan that works for them individually. For me, this really works. I don’t feel I am missing out on anything and I always have enough.

My income sources

The first income source I had on my list was surveys. I gradually signed up and tried several survey sites and it really paid off. From the surveys I get various gift certificates as well as money. What I earn from the surveys now covers my entire budget.

A few other income sources on my list included writing and selling books, selling PLR and templates, earning money off of subscriptions and ads, designing clothes and jewellery and selling them, selling my art and selling other digital products. Of course there are also many more potential income sources left on my to try-list.

I have a handful of income sources now, and I explore new ones every month. It’s really fun and it feels kind of like a game. I still don’t work full-time, but I am able to support myself. I eat well, I have no trouble caring for my own health and I have more than enough time to explore my interests.

Now I want to help other people gain personal freedom, and that’s why I decided to write the book series “The 3 Keys To Personal Freedom”. The first book is available for purchase and it is called “The Pantry”. The second and third book will both be available for sale later this year. One is about container gardening and the other is about financial independence. Essentially these three books form a guide to gaining personal freedom the way I did.

This month I will start selling various work from home guides and essentially everything you need to earn money from home, to earn money as a freelancer and to start a business. I have learned a lot from running several businesses over the last eight years. I wish someone had taught me the things I now know before I got started, but at least I will be able to make the journey easier for other people.

Any interest can become an income source

Did you know that any hobby or interest can be turned into an income source? It’s true. Anything you are passionate about and know how to do at least half-decently can be turned into an income source.

We all have talents and skills that are valuable. However, society doesn’t want us to realise that. The system wants us to keep our heads down and work ourselves to the bone. They want us to stay distracted so that we don’t notice how messed up society really is. It is insane that most of us accept that we should work 9 to 5 for 50+ years out of a 75+ year long life. Through consumerism, encouraging us to stay connected at all times, getting us addicted to screens, poisoning our food, our water, our air… The system makes sure of we have no time or energy to think for ourselves, heal ourselves or realise our own talents and gifts.

We need to redo society as a whole, but until that happens, we need to wake up and walk in the opposite direction.

I have met so many good people who have been taught by their peers and by their teachers that they are dumb. That they have nothing to offer and nothing they’re good at. That they’re just not special. But that’s just not true, and it makes me so mad and sad for them. Every single human being has a worth that cannot be increased or diminished by their demographic or anything else for that matter. We are all equal, even if society and the system tries so hard to make us forget that.

Every person has things they’re good at. Talents, skills, gifts – whatever you want to call it, we all have at least a couple of them. I don’t believe there’s a single person out there who doesn’t know something that they could teach someone else how to do. And if you know something, you can share it with others and you can earn money off of it.

I keep being asked if I offer individual coaching in personal freedom and these topics that I write about, and yes, that might be something to consider for the future. But for now, I am focusing on writing my books and creating my courses. I hope to launch the first courses sometime later this year.

Let’s find a new way to live

As a finishing note for this post, I’d like you to truly think about your own life. What do you need? What do you pay for? Is it all essential? Could you barter for any of it? Borrow any of it? Share any of it?

And what about you as an individual? What are you good at? Where do your talents lie? How would you like to earn your money? What do you want more or less of in your life?

Make a list. Make a plan. And take the leap. I promise you, it is so worth it.

We can all manifest the life we want.

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