Making Money Vs Earning Money

Let’s talk about money. For some people it’s kind of taboo, for others it’s something they really identify with. My grandma once told me, “money is important when you don’t have it, but not important when you do”. Needless to say, everyone has their own relationship with money which makes it hard to generalize.

Recently, I’ve come across an interesting concept that is more universal. It’s the distinction between making money, and earning money, and to me, the difference is in the intention. Saying that you make money implies that it is a one way transaction. It implies that you are the recipient and there’s nothing else to it. It’s more selfish. But, when you earn money, it suggests that you received money and did so at a fair exchange rate, meaning you added value and were given the compensation you deserved for your effort. In phrasing it that way, you are more respectful of the time you spent working, because knowing you were contributing to something, and that the work you did was appreciated! 

So, it’s a subtle difference, but its significant in the way you approach making a living.