[ChuckMcM]

So much this sentiment. I ask people I mentor "why do you measure yourself in dollars?" and they often respond with something like "all the successful people I admire are rich." or something along those lines.

Money is a 'first derivative' of success and a lagging indicator.

Measure yourself by what you learn not by what you earn and you will be sticking to projects longer because the payoff will be in what they are teaching you. Everything you learn gets you that much closer to a side project that brings in money as well as experience. Why? Because you'll know what is important and what is not, you will know how things waste money and how to avoid them, you will know what metrics are important and what they mean.

[ghaff]

One the one hand, I'd observe that most people's side-projects, aka hobbies, were never expected to make money. Short of opening a shop your pottery or whatever wasjust something you did.

On the other hand I recognize it's somewhat privileged to just shrug off making money with "side hustles."

[jabl]

Well, it's also kind of privileged to expect to have such a "side hustle" that you enjoy doing, and that generates income.

Sure, people used to have side hustles back in the day, but maybe more like weeding your potato plants after a back-breaking day at the factory.

[ChuckMcM]

I would be interested in how you got to here:

> On the other hand I recognize it's somewhat privileged to just shrug off making money with "side hustles."

Was it from what I wrote or was it unrelated?

[ghaff]

I was just referring to expectations that projects you do outside of your main job can be turned into money-making enterprises. And, from my perspective, this is usually not the case and I'm fine with it but it's easy to see that being dismissive of side hustles assumes a well-paying 9-5 job.

[rahimiali]

> Money is a 'first derivative' of success

Does that mean that even if my success stagnates at “quite successful”, I make no money at all? That doesn’t make sense to me. How would that work?

[Buge]

Yeah I think it would be the other way around: money would be the integral of success.