Getting Paid For Your Dream Job Starts With One Word

No.

The word is “no.”

Before you scream at me and say “This is all you gave me? What the hell can this small word do to get me paid for my dream job?!” Let me explain.

I watched King Richard today. It’s a film by tennis legends, Serena and Venus Williams, about their father, Richard Williams. Their father coached them into the phenoms we see on the tennis court today, but there’s one subtle scene in the film that people won’t acknowledge.

A young Venus gets offered an endorsement deal by Nike for $3 million. She ponders over it for a few seconds until she says the golden word, “No.” This was the first endorsement deal she was offered in her pro career — and she turned it down.

She understood her value and got a Reebok deal nine months later in her career worth $12 million at 15 years old.

Running from “no” is why you can get lucky enough to do what you love — but never get paid for it.

Say “No” to Your Daunting Past

You don’t want to waste another millisecond at your dead-end job.

So you quit and pursue your dream job. You soon realize that making money from your dream job won’t be an easy feat. But you don’t care. Why? Because you’ll do anything in your power to avoid that shitty barista job.

I was in the same situation.

I worked at a movie theater. I despised the managers, co-workers, and customers. I also hated cleaning up mountains of popcorn and vomit from the aisleways. I needed to make a change.

I’ve always had a passion for writing and long story short, I became a writer. I’ve written articles every single day for 2 years straight. I’ve also garnered 15k monthly views on my work and I’ve made thousands of dollars in the process. But if I didn’t dare to say “no” to content mills or build a personal domain with zero traffic, I wouldn’t have amassed half the income I’m making now.

Failing to make a living as a writer makes me think of going back to my crappy movie theater job. I’d be damned if that happens again.

Think of your past.

I know you have a crappy past you’re hiding under the glitz and glamour of your social media handles. You wouldn’t have attempted to pursue your dream job otherwise.

Give a middle finger to that past right now to begin your financial freedom journey with your dream job.

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Watch What Happens When Others Tell You “No”

Richard Williams got at least fifty no’s after asking tennis coach after tennis coach to help his daughters. He finally got them a coach after all of that rejection. It paid off.

The more people tell you “no”, the more inspired you’ll get. It sounds cliche, but you won’t believe it.

Deep down, you’re terrified of rejection. You hate the possibility of not living up to everyone's expectations. Being told “no” doesn’t mean you’re not good enough. It means you’re not good enough yet. You have a long road ahead of you to improve.

Back when I ran a digital marketing business, I cold-called and emailed at least 25 companies per day. Almost all of those companies didn’t respond or cursed me out over the phone. But 3 companies gave me a shot. Those yes’s led to some potential clients and one even offered me a deal (cha-ching).

You might hate being told “no” now, but the more your doors close, the more you’re backed into a corner, and the more you’re willing to improve even more to get that moola.

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Final Thought

Making money from your dream job all comes down to knowing your worth, challenging yourself despite rejection, and avoiding your past at all costs.

You can’t do this without saying and getting bombarded by that annoying two-letter word we all love and hate. It’ll be difficult. You won’t make much money in the beginning. Hell, you might not succeed.

But will go you give up?

You know the answer.

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Huge Announcement! Introducing The Story Crafters Club!

On Sept. 30th (Monday) at 8 am EST

I’ll be hosting a 2-hour long writing training Zoom call going over subjects like:

• How to make your writing more clear

• How to write good intros

• The best ways to format your Substack posts

I’ll also be unveiling the Story Crafters Club group chat for paid subscribers with tons of free resources and perks to get your writing career off the ground and soaring!

Plus, I’ll be answering any questions you want afterward!

And if you can’t make it, don’t worry! This meeting will also be recorded and posted for you to refer to anytime!

It’s gonna be a blast!

Hope to see ya there! :)