Keeping An Eye On The Numbers

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My money comes from various sources and activities. First, I’m a freelance language teacher. That’s where my real talent lies, and it’s by far the most gratifying activity I engage in. Secondly, I do translations. I translate dissertations, manuals, newspaper articles and the like. That can be really interesting. Right now for example I’m working on the translation into English of letters written by an expatriate German lady to her parents back in the 1920’s. Thirdly, but not lastly, I work in Internet marketing. On the one hand I promote myself and my translation service, and on the other I sell online language training and other digital products which I know constitute a real value to my customers. I’m pretty good at juggling all these activities. I keep, however a fixed eye on the money that’s going out (advertising costs) and the money that’s coming in. It’s so easy to get blinded by a large lump sum of money, let’s say for a major translation, and thinking that that’s what I should mainly focus on, because more often than not that’s a momentary impression that does not reflect reality over the long run. For me it’s important to keep track on my income and expenses over a long period of time, so that I get a real picture that’s beyond my fallible perception. Activities I personally like most are not the ones where I necessarily earn the most money. And yes, and I‘m not ashamed of saying it aloud (although sometimes I get the impression that it has almost become a sacrilege) – I’m doing it all for the money.