Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking?

Journal of a Resource-Conscious Opportunity Creator

Monday, January 3rd, 2022 – 11:45 PM

Another day gone, and I’m still in the same place. Scrolled through my Instagram before bed and saw Maria’s post about her new digital planner business taking off—500 sales this month. How is everyone making this work except me?

It’s not that I’m not trying. I spent two hours tonight after the kids went to bed researching print-on-demand platforms. Yesterday it was affiliate marketing. Last week I was deep into digital product creation. My notes app is bursting with ideas and half-started plans. My browser has so many tabs open it just shows a smiley face instead of a number.

But every time I think I’ve found a direction, I hit the same wall. This platform needs Photoshop skills. That method requires an email list I don’t have. This course promises to teach everything but costs $297 I definitely don’t have. Meanwhile, my credit card bill arrived today. Another month of barely keeping up.

I know there’s opportunity out there. I’m smart enough. I’m willing to work hard. I have design skills from my job and knowledge from my industry that I’m sure would be valuable to someone. But translating that into actual income feels like trying to decode a language everyone else seems to understand naturally.

The most frustrating part is feeling like I’m missing some obvious step. Like there’s a secret door everyone else found while I’m still feeling along the wall. I’ve watched countless YouTube videos, read all the free blog posts, joined a dozen Facebook groups. I’ve got plenty of information, but somehow still don’t know what to do first. Or what to do second. Or how to know if it’s working.

Sarah texted today that she’s making $40 a day with her printables. FORTY DOLLARS. Every day. That would change everything for me. That’s groceries each week, or the electric bill, or half my car payment. That’s breathing room. Not yacht money, just… space to exhale.

I wonder how long it took her to get there? I wonder what her first step was? I wonder if she felt this same knot in her stomach when she started? No one talks about the between time—that gap from knowing nothing to making that first sale.

I have exactly 5 hours a week I can dedicate to this—Tuesday and Thursday nights after the kids are in bed, when I’m already tired from work. I can’t afford to waste that precious time. I can’t afford to invest in the wrong platform or create products no one wants. I literally can’t afford mistakes.

I keep coming back to the same questions:

• What EXACTLY should I create first?
• Which specific platform is best for my particular skills?
• How do I know if I’m on the right track before investing dozens of hours?
• How long should this realistically take?
• How do people find my stuff without me spending money on ads?

I’m setting my alarm 30 minutes early tomorrow to work on this before the day starts. I tell myself that consistency is key, that small steps compound, that everyone starts somewhere.

But tonight, I just wish someone who’s been exactly where I am would hand me a map with the path clearly marked. Not generic advice. Not motivational quotes. Just:

“Start here. Do this first. Then this. Here’s how to know if it’s working.”

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