A response to an email over at College Startup.com really hit home for me today. As much as I enjoy being involved in trying to gain time and financial freedom through creating systems of passive income, a big part of me keeps hoping for that ideal overnight success story. The reality is that no matter how big or small your goals are, there will always be a level of sacrifice in time and money that you must make in order to be where you want to be. However, I assert that your frame of reference, or how you are perceiving the process of your venture, will determine the severity of the sacrifice.

For example, if I'm really into aquariums as a hobby (which I am), then starting an aquarium business may not be as frustrating for me as starting a shoe business because I would be expanding on doing something that I already I love to do. Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to minimize all that goes into starting any kind of business. It's not easy to maintain books, deal with suppliers, hire employees, and all the other logistics involved.

But I love searching for passive income opportunities and trying to make them work. The money invested so far is peanuts compared to a traditional business venture. While it's still money and time sacrificed on my part (I could've had a really BIG fish tank by now), I see it more as an extension of what I've already been doing to get to where I want to be. That makes the reality of this all more manageable.

If you're wanting to make a change in life that will ultimately lead to personal freedom, then ask yourself these questions:

* Is sacrifice a bad thing if you're building on what you love doing?
* What's motivating you to do the things you do?
* Are you prepared to reconcile your goals with reality?

-RY