How to Make a Living in a World of Abundance

If we’re adding to the noise
turn off this song
If we’re adding to the noise
turn off your stereo, radio, video

– Switchfoot, Adding to the Noise

We all have a set of basic needs: food, shelter and clothes¹. To pay for them², we need money. To get money, we have to sell something.

At the same time, in the western world today, there are already more options on the market than a regular customer can handle, and businesses, both big and small, are pushing out new stuff at a speed like nothing we have seen before. Where do you fit in?

What can you sell when too much of everything (and more) is already being sold at your local mall?

This is a hard question, and I fight it with every business and money making idea I think of — not to mention my day job. That’s why, although I can’t pretend I have it all figured out, I have to say something about this question and how it has affected my plans for making a living.

Leave a Legacy

On this planet that once seemed so big, with all ends open for exploration, we are now close to hitting its boundaries. Everything we create consumes some of the planet’s finite resources. And every time we throw away that creation, it means something will be lost forever (or, at least for a really long time).

“Let’s just create whatever we can make people want to pay for” just doesn’t seem good enough anymore. There must be something better than building this throw-away culture even bigger. There must be a way to create something we can be proud of.

We need to leave a legacy — or do nothing.

Pick Better Fights and Help People

In my current day job, I work in entertainment. I guess that explains a big part of why can’t seem to get past this question: entertainment as a business is the stereotype of the kind of business that works by trying to convince people to buy things that they don’t need or often even want.

We fight hard to beat the competition and make more money, and we don’t provide real value to the world we live in.

I don’t mean to say there is no place for entertainment in the world — in fact, entertainment could be one of the few things people in a world abundance should be doing. But that has nothing to do with today’s entertainment business. It should be entertainment created for artistic values, to provide understanding and a clearer vision of the world. It should be meaningful. And most importantly, its goal shouldn’t be to beat the competition and to grow investor value.

If we want to work long hours and fight a big enemy, we should at least make sure the enemy is worth the fight.

There are still many real issues in the world: poverty, hunger, ecological disasters, diseases, prejudices, loneliness.

How about facing one of them instead?

Time is precious. Not doing anything is hugely valuable. So, if you are not fighting a big cause, why would you spend all your time working?

Working with Ideas

The day before my summer holiday started, as I rode my bike to work, I was trying to imagine giving up different things in life. I asked myself the question: “Would I miss something if no one in the world was creating new _____s?”

I tried it with soap operas, and the answer was no.

I tried it with computer games, and answered no.

I tried it with new gadgets, and after some soul searching answered no.

I tried it with great bread, and the answer was a yes — although, I do think I could still live without bread.

But then, I tried it with books. That was a definite yes.

There is no way around it: if I lost the window to all these wise people’s minds, and all the wisdom and learning that I can get into through it, I wouldn’t be able to live my greatest passion. Without books, I wouldn’t be me.

I concluded that there is something specially valuable in written words.

And that (with a hint of bread) is where I am building my future ways of making a living in this world. Give the test to try, you might find your answer to be something different — but exciting!

July 2010

Today is the fifth day of July, and my four-week summer vacation officially starts today.

My plan is to spend this month test driving my ideal workflow and keep working on my minimalist business that leaves time for what I love the most: my family³.

I will be working in the mornings for a couple of hours, with words and ideas: building this blog to be the main platform for leaving my legacy and sharing what I learn, and writing my first information product. Work has started and I’m looking forward to being able to share all of it with you.

What about you? Will you join me and test your own ideal work this month too?

And if you haven’t already, go read these fabulous and free e-books and manifestos about making a living and changing the world in a meaningful way:

• 279 Days to Overnight Success and The Brief Guide to World Domination by Chris Guillebeau
• How to Create a Movement by Everett Bogue
• What Matters Now by Seth Godin

I have been re-reading all of them this week, and every time I am blown away with the wisdom and encouragement these guys are sharing.

I believe we are living in a time where mass-marketing products no one needs is not only boring but also getting dangerous, and we need to find better ways to make a living. Using words to improve people’s lives can be one of the ways to get food on the table without compromising your values. I don’t know if it’s the best way. And I’m sure it’s not the only way.

So, think about it: how will you make a living without adding to the noise?