💰Monetization: The Progress, Not the Prize

1. The Trap of Monetization-First Thinking

When people start something new — a business, a creative project, even a Substack blog — one of the first questions they ask is:

“How do I monetize this?”

It sounds logical, even responsible. But here’s the paradox:

You can’t monetize what you don’t genuinely enjoy.

If you’re building solely to sell, you’re not building anything real.
You’re just constructing a hollow product around what you think people want.
And worst of all, you’ll end up despising the very thing you created.

Authenticity isn’t about becoming the version of yourself you wish you were.
It’s about facing who you already are, the messy, imperfect, beautifully flawed you.

And that’s terrifying.
Because what if you don’t like that authentic self once you really meet them?

It’s like stepping out of the barber shop with a fresh haircut.
You take a shower, style it yourself for the first time…
And suddenly you’re staring in the mirror thinking:

“Oh. This isn’t what I expected.”

2. Inspiration Is Always There — Discipline Isn’t

People love to romanticize inspiration:

“I just need that one brilliant idea… it’ll come to me in my sleep.”

No, it won’t.
Inspiration is already there, quietly humming in the background of your daily life.
What’s missing is discipline.

Discipline is the bridge between the idea and its evolution.
Without it, you’re stuck forever in the realm of “potential.”

3. Learning from the Greats — Lifestyle Over Habits

Let’s look at some of the most inspirational writers in history and today.
Not their writing habits, but their lifestyles, because that’s where the magic really happens.

• Ernest Hemingway – Wrote standing up, sure, but more importantly, he lived stories worth writing about. Bullfights, wars, safaris. His writing wasn’t a desk habit; it was a life poured onto the page.

• Maya Angelou – Rented a hotel room to write every morning. It wasn’t the room itself; it was the ritual of carving out sacred space for her craft.

• Haruki Murakami – Famously disciplined, waking up at 4 a.m., but his work flows because his entire life is structured around rhythm, running, and immersion.

• Stephen King – Writes 2,000 words a day, but only because he built a worldview where storytelling is non-negotiable, like breathing.

Today, we see the same pattern in people who succeed at anything — creators, founders, marketers.
They don’t just have “habits.”
They live inside their work, blending identity and craft so deeply that output becomes inevitable.

4. The Cliché That’s Actually True

“If you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

Yes, it’s cliché.
Yes, it’s cringe.
And yes, it’s painfully, beautifully true.

But here’s the twist:
Most people don’t start out loving their job.

Love is built, not stumbled upon.
You grow into it through small acts of dedication, discipline, and courage.

5. The Comfort Zone Myth

I’m writing this blog post right now from a warm, family-filled apartment.
My version of a home office.
It’s safe, comfortable, and full of life, and I wouldn’t compare it with any other job or struggle in history.

But here’s what I know:
If we lived 200 years ago, this comfort would not exist.

• If you wanted water, you’d pump it from the well.

• If you wanted warmth, you’d chop wood in the cold.

There’s something profoundly human about those struggles.
Today, our “chopping wood” moment isn’t literal; it’s about challenging yourself to step outside your comfort zone.
To embrace small hardships willingly, because growth is forged in friction.

If you only seek ease, you’ll never develop the strength to create something lasting.

6. Marketing as a Modern Struggle

Marketing today is its own kind of wood-chopping.
It forces you to:

• Put your ideas into the world where they can be judged.

• Compete for attention in a landscape of infinite noise.

• Stay disciplined even when algorithms, trends, and markets shift overnight.

Monetization doesn’t happen because you chase money.
It happens because your discipline + authenticity produce something so meaningful that others naturally want to engage, share, and yes — pay for.

The brands that thrive are the ones with this hunger, this willingness to struggle, evolve, and keep swinging the axe day after day.

7. Final Reflection

Monetization is not a light switch you flip on.
It’s a byproduct of living your work, of enduring the setbacks without losing love for the process.

So ask yourself:

Are you building something real,
or just constructing a hollow product in hopes of cashing out?

Because the moment you stop seeing monetization as the goal,
and start seeing it as the result of authentic, disciplined effort —
That’s when you’ve truly begun the journey.