Help Me Become a Full-time Blogger

raven Says:

June 26th, 2007, 6:28 am

Hey,
you are lucky. I live in a country where my salary is 600 USD per month.

JasonD Says:

June 26th, 2007, 6:29 am

I must admit that whenever I see something that starts with those words (or similar) I immediately think ‘oh no’! I can’t help it; I must be programmed that way. But if that’s the case then why don’t I feel the same when I see an advert for something I really don’t need?

That’s marketing I guess. I think I could do with some sort of ‘reversal therapy’.

Anyhow, I realise that I’ve paid a lot more for a lot less during my life…

raven Says:

June 26th, 2007, 6:30 am

PS. I like your site, very much! I appreciate your work, and I’m very sorry that I cannot support your efforts of making this world a better place to live in.. :(

Ryan Says:

June 26th, 2007, 6:30 am

Leo,
No need to apologize for asking for donations. Quite frankly, I’m surprised you don’t already make a living from blogging. I see your name everywhere!

I’m happy to help. When I get my text-link-ads payment for this month, I’ll be sending a bit of cash your way. It’s the least I can do for the value you’ve provided.

Keep up the good work and best of luck in taking this step.
Ryan

lucky8 Says:

June 26th, 2007, 6:49 am

Frankly the content you’ve provided so far is well worth $25 and the idea that I will be contributing to the imporvement of the site is just an added incentive. The money’s yours as soon as I get home.

And while I think about it, with the improvements you’re considering, is there any chance of a forum?

Glenn Wolsey Says:

June 26th, 2007, 6:57 am

Good luck on your dream, I’ll drop a little into the donation pot once I get paid next week.

cyarborough Says:

June 26th, 2007, 7:11 am

I wish I could help. However, my job has just been cut back as well. Cut back to non existent. Damn content management systems! Nice idea though, get 1/4 of your readership to respond with a $25 donation and you have made 74k. Nice, and good luck.

Tell you what, if I can find a job making at least 74/yr I will give you half of my first 2 paychecks.

I hope I didn’t sound like an a-hole. I appreciate the blog and the time and effort you put into it.

Pawel Says:

June 26th, 2007, 7:41 am

Hi Leo,

Over the last months I became a regular reader of your great blog. That’s why I would gladly contribute to keep your motivation high.

If you could only “repair” the paypal link to make it work. Currently it only leads me to the paypal login page, but without any information about the target of the intended payment.

Leo Says:

June 26th, 2007, 7:48 am

Thanks, Pawel, for pointing that out … I think I’ve fixed the button, if you would like to try it again. If you still have problems, please let me know.

And thanks to everyone who’s been so encouraging! Please, if you do not have the money to make a donation, do not worry about it. I’m not expecting you to give beyond what you’re able to … especially if you’ve just lost your job!

Jesse Says:

June 26th, 2007, 7:59 am

First off there is nothing wrong with asking for donations. I might have phrased it differently then you, but you provide a service that people obviously value. If they didn’t you wouldn’t have 11K+ readers.

I wouldn’t say you’ll be quitting your day job this year, but I think if you work hard at it you may be able to turn this into a decent writing speaking career. If that’s what you want to do then Good Luck!

Pawel Says:

June 26th, 2007, 8:13 am

Donation link is working now…

porcelaine92 Says:

June 26th, 2007, 8:26 am

I have just sent you through paypal the exact amount my lunch should have cost me today : I discovered your site before going, and finally spent my lunch hour hungrily reading your texts. and loving them !
so you definitly deserve this little contribution !
thanks for the kindness that can be read in your words and ideas, hope you will encounter your dreams on your way.
Sylvie, from France
(and thanks to Paypal making this sort of things so easy above frontiers ! a payment like this would have been impossible 10 years ago !!)

Leo Says:

June 26th, 2007, 8:29 am

@lucky8: A forum is one of the additional resources I’ve been wanting to provide. It’s definitely on my to-do list. :)

Thank you to everyone who has donated. You guys are awesome! You’re all going in my morning gratitude session.

Maira Says:

June 26th, 2007, 8:38 am

I am a big fan of yours, and I want you to know that the things you have written here have helped me a lot. So, you got my donation as well ;)
Good luck and keep up the wonderful work!

Steve Says:

June 26th, 2007, 8:47 am

Leo, I’d happily contribute, as I value your work greatly, both here and the freelance stuff you do elsewhere.

Unfortunately, I’m currently trying to get my business off the ground, and money is an issue. As soon as I am able to, I will contribute.

Good luck with the plans you have for the site. Let me know if I can help in any way with the redesign.

amber Says:

June 26th, 2007, 8:48 am

Thanks for your insights, humor, and guts to post this request! I am inspired.

Mark Says:

June 26th, 2007, 9:05 am

I like what you contribute. Here’s $40. Mostly frequently ’starred’ blog in google reader for me.. cheers!

LesW Says:

June 26th, 2007, 10:26 am

Hi Leo,

Great stuff, only started reading zenhabits in the last 40 days and I think your stuff is awesome. If you put this all into a book and charged $25 I would buy it so taking the same principal I am investing in your future by donating $25 to you.

In return we want more of the same quality blogging. The other ideas you have sound great I look forward to seeing where you go from here.

Also as someone else has mentioned a forum would be great, especially for your Monthly Challenge members to communicate better.

Grayson De Ritis Says:

June 26th, 2007, 11:05 am

Go for it, Leo. You can do it man :-) I’d HIGHLY suggest a re-design though. This small width, two column layout just isn’t cutting it ;-)

HH Says:

June 26th, 2007, 11:16 am

That’s a good decision you made, and I am not talking about asking for money, but becoming a full time blogger! I really think you can help lots of people with your words so I wish you a good journey with this. Regarding the money part, what I can give will mean nothing economically speaking, but it always ads.

AgentSully Says:

June 26th, 2007, 11:44 am

Well done. I spend a lot on books, some that don’t get read, so this is a no-brainer for me. I read your blog nearly every day so here goes. It is strange because donation has this weird connotation, like giving money for nothing in return. But your blog offers a lot on many levels. Nice job!

Chris Auman Says:

June 26th, 2007, 12:58 pm

What’s wrong with a premium content site? At some point people need to quit expecting people to provide great content like this for nothing. We all have lives and love to share advice and wisdom. At some point we all have to pay the bills. $25/yr. is about the price of a magazine subscription in the U.S. so why not pay for a subscription to this site that we all read every day!?

Go ahead and cancel Time magazine and all the other crap we get in our mail each month and redirect that money back to a truly useful resource.

Keep going Leo! Maybe offer a subscription button so we’re automatically billed yearly for $20-$25 bucks so we don’t have to worrry about it anymore?

naphta Says:

June 26th, 2007, 13:24 pm

Hi, 25$ are on their way (Paypal button works).

I prefer reading your blog to any crappy newspaper (what I like to read is something that makes a difference in my life and helps me get better - and this you are good at!)

Keep up the good work!

Adam Snider Says:

June 26th, 2007, 13:34 pm

I feel that I get a lot of value out of this site, so I will try to make a donation next payday.

Cynthia Says:

June 26th, 2007, 15:32 pm

I’ve donated $25, too. I read your blog almost every day and enjoy your style. PayPal button worked fine for me. Keep up the good work!

Robert MacEwan Says:

June 26th, 2007, 17:11 pm

I’m enjoying the content so you can expect $25 from me too.

Mak Says:

June 26th, 2007, 19:48 pm

Your articles are definitely worth more than $25/yr. I will make a donation next pay day. It will also be a way of thanking you for what you do for us Monthly Challengers - putting together everyone’s check-in msg every day is such a lot of work, I really appreciate it.

Don Says:

June 26th, 2007, 19:48 pm

Just sent $50 your way. It’s the least I can do for all the fantastic writing you’ve done! Your material challenges me to improve myself and gives me the tools I need to get moving in the right direction.

If you get a subscription service going, you can count on a regular contribution from me! Good luck!

Alex Says:

June 26th, 2007, 20:28 pm

Small donation made, but every little bit helps :)

Good luck Leo.

Leo Says:

June 26th, 2007, 20:52 pm

You guys are awesome. I am overwhelmed by your generosity and encouragement.

I just want to say thank you to all of you, for the comments and of course for the donations. You guys make all the work I’ve been putting into this site worthwhile … and now my wife knows it is too! :)

(Just kidding … she’s always supported me, whether I make money or not.)

I cannot say thank you individually to each of you, but I included you all in my gratitude session this morning, and will think of you every morning.

@Grayson: I’ve already got a close friend of mine doing the redesign. I’m psyched about it.

@Chris Auman: There’s nothing wrong with a premium content site … except that personally, I never like them. :) When I go to a website, I expect it to be free, which is a weird thing to expect, I guess … but I almost never sign up for a paid version of a site. And so with this site, I have the same philosophy: if readers are kind enough to spend their time here, I do not want to turn them away because they don’t want to pay. I understand what you’re saying about magazine subscriptions, and I know that I can produce content that would be worth paying for, but it just goes against my personal philosophy. You make good points, but I have to stay true to myself. :)

@LesW: One of the things I plan to add, once I move over to a new server (I’m gonna do it this week!), is a forum, which will be helpful not only to the monthly challenge folk like yourself, but for the folk trying to make other positive changes like getting out of debt, simplifying, etc. and want a community of positive support.

Thanks again, wonderful readers!

Jeff O'Hara Says:

June 26th, 2007, 22:15 pm

Well, you have the readers, I think you could monetize your site much better and make some serious coin without donations. JohnChow.com has half the readers of you and is making $11,000 usd. a month. I only know that cause I’ve heard, I’m not really a blog marketing type guy, but I know you could definitely optimize your site to make it work for you.

-Jeff O’Hara
http://blog.zemote.com

Vish Says:

June 27th, 2007, 2:16 am

Hi,

I chanced upon your site while browsing and i must say that the content is pretty good. I would like to help you in your endaveour . Email me at the address i have given when submitting the post and i look forward to interacting with you

Vish
Co-Founder Spiritual Simplicity
http://www.spiritual-simplicity.com

Jonathan Street Says:

June 27th, 2007, 10:26 am

Hi Leo

I meant to read this post yesterday when you sent it out to the Monthly challenge list but it was crazy so I put it off. Finally here I am.

I’m glad you’ve decided to give this a try and I’m looking forward to seeing the changes you have planned.

I’ll definitely be donating but not from this computer. I’ve put it on my todo calendar/list and I’ll log into paypal when I get home. I’ve got some big bills coming in this month (car tax/insurance and MOT) but I can definitely give something.

Good luck and I hope it all goes well.

gawp Says:

June 27th, 2007, 10:28 am

Excellent site, very useful and well thought out. The wellness/productivity/mindfulness focus is nicely handled.
I like the idea of donations, but I don’t know if it’s a sustainable long term business model. Advertising monetization of the site is a possibility as other commenters have indicated above. You may want to look at 43folders which is like a gonzo version of this site. Merlin Mann seems to make his money there by speaking and personal coaching as well as site advertising.
Best of luck, I’ll continue to read with interest.

Grayson De Ritis Says:

June 27th, 2007, 11:42 am

Leo - Glad to hear there’s a redesign on the way; looking forward to it! Your already great content will soar to new heights with the right layout :-)

San Says:

June 27th, 2007, 13:10 pm

I just sent in $25. I am retired from a non-profit and living on a fixed income, but the way I look at it, I could be spending a lot more for a magazine subscription I only receive monthly and getting a lot less content, enjoying it less, wading through lots more advertisements, and then toting the magazines to the recycling bin! I think $25 is quid pro quo.

Klaus Says:

June 27th, 2007, 17:24 pm

Hi Leo, a donation too keep you productive and motivated is on its way. The content of you blog is certainly worth it. However, I would think hard about making this a full time career. If you think about some of the money related thing you have written in your blog you will know why.
Regards from faraway Germany…

funkright Says:

June 28th, 2007, 10:13 am

There you go brother, no problem in helping you out, I find your site very useful and it’s definitely ‘worth’ the price of a yearly magazine subscription, to say the least. Keep up the good work!

Conner Downey Says:

June 28th, 2007, 12:50 pm

I will be donating, but I need to verify paypal. Arggh.

dude Says:

June 28th, 2007, 14:49 pm

I click on your ads as often as I can. Hope that helps.

Abel Says:

June 29th, 2007, 1:54 am

Leo, I know personally you’re a nice guy from working with you. No problem helping you out. Just sent and hope you are doing fine. Keep it up, we are always there for you.

KRS Says:

June 29th, 2007, 11:09 am

Leo, I think the quality of your blog is absolutely fantastic and has helped me tremendously in becoming a more productive person not only at work but more importantly at home. The tips and service you provide is truly appreciated! I sent a little donation your way and wish you luck with your quest to achieve your goal of becoming a full time blogger.

Baz L Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 0:39 am

JohnChow makes a living because he’s a bit of a sell out. He does a bunch of sponsored reviews and posts for all sorts of crap that have nothing to do with anything.

You might want to check out: Buy Me a Beer - PayPal Donation WordPress Plugin.
–
Baz L
Day In The Life of Baz

Baz L Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 0:41 am

I would help you out, but my financial situation isn’t really the greatest right now. And I have a “friend (How I Save Money.net) who’s in somewhat the same situation.
–
Baz L
Day In The Life of Baz

Rob Slagle Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 17:29 pm

Why does this post keep coming up in my RSS reader (bloglines)? I do not have it saved. It is getting very annoying to see this post pop up as a new post in my RSS reader. I know it isn’t just me, it’s in the feedburner feed everyday also.

Leo Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 21:46 pm

Hi Rob … I have no idea why it’s doing that … this is the first I’ve heard of it. Let me check with FeedBurner to see if I can find an answer … However, I haven’t been updating it or anything to make it appear in the daily feed. I also haven’t been seeing it in my feed reader, so that’s strange.

Anyway, sorry for the inconvenience, and give me a little time to find the answer. Thanks!

peter Says:

July 4th, 2007, 11:53 am

first time i donate :) i like your blog. thx for all :)

Eduardo Says:

July 5th, 2007, 7:11 am

I wish I could help but down here the minimum salary is only $200/m.

Juliette Says:

July 6th, 2007, 23:04 pm

Hi. I am an infrequent visitor, but I may increase my foot traffic because I like your site. Please do keep up the good work! (I just made a small contribution, and I may send more along in the future.)

Cate Says:

July 8th, 2007, 15:01 pm

Your blog is one of the two or three I make sure to read regularly, so it’s a pleasure to be able to say thanks with a donation. Your posts help me a lot, and I’m with you on the desire to follow your dreams. I hope you get the time to put together more content, to improve the blog, and perhaps one day…well, who knows. Whatever makes you happy.

Tushar Says:

July 10th, 2007, 12:02 pm

Leo, you have been an inspiration to be a better parent and better person. I will see what I can do.

Leo Says:

July 10th, 2007, 17:28 pm

Thanks, everyone, for all the wonderful feedback and encouragement. I couldn’t do this without you.

And thank you to everyone who has made donations … you are in my heart, and I think of you every morning in my gratitude session.

You guys are awesome.

Conner Downey Says:

July 10th, 2007, 23:27 pm

I finally donated!

Arun Says:

July 12th, 2007, 9:25 am

Hi, I am reading your articles from last few days i hope to make some changes in my schedule like waking up early. I like to do something, how about if we can design a unique, new & clean wordpress theme?

Leo Says:

July 12th, 2007, 20:11 pm

Hi Arun … thanks for the kind offer … but I have someone doing a redesign already. Good luck on your positive life changes!

Jorge Diaz Says:

July 21st, 2007, 7:07 am

Hey, this post was published the day of my birthday!

Great post, i am sure you are going to acomplish your dream. I should have that gratitude moment myself, i am aware of being in gratitude with god but i don´t do it directly only sometimes.

I have a similar dream, like you.

I came from problogger.net

“The 4 Pillars of Writing Exceptional Blogs”
i dont post frequently thats my problem :S

i have several blogs, and my latest project its

http://www.thedailymac.com

pavs Says:

August 7th, 2007, 16:08 pm

Hi leo i would like to know who are you using as website hosting? And how much you are paying for it? I couldn’t find your email address so i couldnt contact you personally about it. The reason I am asking is because one of my website is also a very high traffic website and I would have to move to dedicated hosting, and I am kinda a lost as to whom to choose. I would appreciate if you would give me your suggestion. Thanks.

SK Joun Says:

August 8th, 2007, 10:02 am

Perhaps you would like to submit an article to Parents for Parents(TM) magazine? You are obviously and excellent writer with much to share.

Since we are a new and small independent publication, we don’t pay for accepted articles (only a small gift certificate to amazon.com), but if you would like to share your thoughts in an excellent publication for parents, then visit http://www.parentsforparentsmag.com for more details. Thanks!

Franick Says:

August 21st, 2007, 21:22 pm

Hey Leo,

Would like to donate to support your dream. However, is there another way I could donate money?

Maybe with money order that I could send to your mailing address?

Probably, there are some out there who would like to donate other than PayPal or CC.

I enjoyed your posts, do keep up the good work.

Have a great day!

Leo Says:

August 21st, 2007, 22:29 pm

@Franick: Thanks, but I don’t have another way to donate at this time. I’d prefer not to give out my address, for privacy’s sake.

Also … are you from Guam? If so, you can just drop it off to me. :) Lol.

Franick Says:

August 22nd, 2007, 19:14 pm

..LOL…

Yeah, I’m from Guam…just email me at my address where I can drop it off..seriously…

You know, Amazon will be coming out with their version of PayPal …I have an account with Amazon already so I’m good to go when the Amazon payment goes live.

I’ll send you the link on Amazon ..later

Franick Says:

August 28th, 2007, 19:11 pm

Leo,

FYI, here’s the link for the lowdown on Amazon’s FPS (Flexible Payment Service) ..the write-up may be a little technical..

http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?node=342430011

Later,

binarypower Says:

September 5th, 2007, 14:14 pm

Use Google payments and you will have my $10.

nedders Says:

September 15th, 2007, 4:06 am

Leo,

Look forward to seeing your redesign.

You are sadly lacking in dietary background - better check out Barry Sears (hi omega 3) and Peter D’Adamo (A,B,O bloodgroups) and realise individual requirements are paramount - one solution cannot fit all.

Even so - keep up the good work - will make funding contribution you need.

Hidden Says:

December 4th, 2007, 9:20 am

Hello there. I read your mention about getting the site redesigned. I have found your blog here by the firefox “stumble” feature.

Please contact me if you might be interested still in a site redesign or if this has happened already! I design but I do not host sites.

JERRY Says:

January 7th, 2008, 20:39 pm

no offense meant–but working for a government agency is a no brainer, you just need to show up to get a paycheck. you can’t get fired and you get a pension no matter what. frankly i’m a bit surprised that you ask for “donations”. try workin in the “real world”. as far as i’m concerned “civil servants” are not in the real workforce. there is no account ability in government work where i’m from. by its nature government work is just that, busy work.

Marcel Says:

January 16th, 2008, 17:02 pm

@ Leo

Today you announced that you’ve quit your job. Congrats! And your writing here and your important step today is something like a milestone for me which says: “Yes, you can do it!”.

To show my deep admiration for your writing (and thinking) and to support my and other reader’s dream I make my donation within the next minutes. I have a family too – it therefore will not be very much. But I hope it will help you to go on with your fantastic work!

All the best from Switzerland :-)

Marcel Says:

January 21st, 2008, 10:08 am

I made a donnation of 50$ right after my comment above. Haven’t you received the money via PayPal?

If no: Oooops! My account was charged - what went wrong?
If yes: I’m disappointed because I thought to read something like “Thank you for your donnation!”

?

Umm Layth Says:

January 30th, 2008, 22:11 pm

Notsurewhattothink, reading the blog would tell you why people donate. Even if this person was lying (and I don’t believe this), just read the content. I’d pay for this content to stay up. If it benefits your life in this way, why not?

Victoria Says:

February 22nd, 2008, 20:09 pm

Hey maybe you could try this new video based fundraising site, it is called marblejars.com and you could upload a video about your cause and then we could all give marbles to your jar. I bought some and gave to a guy who was getting a kidney transplant and it was very fun, the marbles actually drop into the jar and make real noise. Each of the marbles is equal to one us dollar. Oh well I wish you luck.

Sam Says:

February 28th, 2008, 14:41 pm

Hi I just liked to point out that your donate link isn’t working!

Marcel Says:

February 29th, 2008, 2:33 am

@ Sam
I donated one month ago. Just to warn you: don’t be disappointed when Leo doesn’t give a word like “Thanks” - he won’t! (Even not if you send him mails.)

Jasko Says:

March 3rd, 2008, 9:53 am

Leo I have started recently to read your blog and because I am going through a ruff time in my life it was helping a lot with all the wise tip. I live in Bosnia and I do not have Paypal but as soon as I figure out how I would be glad to make a contribution, I enjoyed also your post about copy rights and I am thinking about recommending your blog on mine. Thanks a lot and believe me I know how it is when you are troubled by money issues. Just keep the great stuff going, your site is awesome.

Leo Says:

March 3rd, 2008, 21:19 pm

Thanks so much Jasko! If donating is a lot of trouble, don’t worry about it. I’m actually doing much better these days, and have achieved full-time blogger status thanks to everyone here!

But donations are still appreciated of course. :)

Marcel Says:

March 4th, 2008, 4:36 am

@ Leo: why are you persistently ignoring me, my comments and my mails concerning my donation? I am really, really disappointed!

Sharon Says:

March 7th, 2008, 0:59 am

I have been reading a lot of the comments on this site for a couple of weeks now…and what gets me is that people get so insulting and personal towards Leo…the things he writes helps many…but of course it’s not going to help EVERYONE! Take from it what will help you and leave the rest…he’s not dictating to you how to live…just putting out ideas to try and help everyone that he possibly can. I personally find the content this site one of the best i have have ever read. I have gained a lot from reading it.
To the people who have donated, i think that is fabulous to support someone’s dream..(i will be donating too)…but why expect a thank you!? (and then obviously pester the poor man incessantly!?) Clearly everyone lives busy lives, and there is not enough time to thank everyone individually…so donate out of the goodness of your own heart, not simply to be recognised in return.

Pappa Jake Says:

March 10th, 2008, 15:58 pm

Thank you for the content. Very pleased to see the donation section as well, which I made a contribution.

SewingByAdrienne Says:

March 20th, 2008, 20:14 pm

Leo,
Fantastic site! Keep up the great work!

Sharon,
I am 100% in agreement with your comment about donations.

Here’s how I view it… A reader’s voluntary donation is a way of telling Leo “thank you for your hard work and I find your website content useful and informative.” Do you then expect Leo to sit down and write a thank you to you for your “thank you” donation? Come on people. If Leo sits down to write individual thank you’s to each person who donates, he would hardly have time to do the work necessary to continue bringing us the great content that prompted you to donate in the first place.

Afroz Pasha Says:

March 31st, 2008, 8:08 am

Hi Friend,
I liked your web site. This has lot of useful information. I donated some amount too.
Thank you.

mustafap Says:

April 5th, 2008, 10:46 am

I’ve not long come across the site but have already enjoyed the content and the style. I tried to make a donation via Paypal and the link wouldn’t work for me while I was using IE. I went in again using Firefox browser and that link DID go through OK. So another donation is on its way.
There are always bitter and twisted folk who assume the rest of us are out to scam them. It is obvious that you put a lot of thought and time into the site. I particularly appreciate the open and honest way you share who you are, the credentials you do and don’t have, and the pleasant way you’ve asked for donations with no strings. I hope it works out for you. I just signed up to register with the forum but haven’t yet had an e-mail link to get going there. Hope it will follow soon. My wife, like you, took up running a few years ago and really enjoyed your race report.

All best wishes.

Jennifer Says:

April 8th, 2008, 5:50 am

I love, love, love your blogs and look forward to each new subject. Most days, when I remember to, I try to live a Zen life but sometimes I fail to be in the moment and that’s when my life sort of unravels. I have made a contribution, wish you success with your endeavours and for selfish reasons want to see you keep working at this as even just reading your blogs is calming and peaceful :)
I love that you write frequently and understand it must take a chunk of time to do so. Thank you.

Eric Says:

April 25th, 2008, 20:31 pm

Excellent material and beautiful layout - keep up the good work. I just dropped you the suggested donation via PP - good luck!

Smithveg Says:

July 26th, 2008, 3:59 am

Full time blogger. Possible?
I need more resources…

Lena Says:

July 31st, 2008, 15:51 pm

Dear Leo, discovered your blog thanks to a column in the Guardian newspaper in the UK ages ago called ‘This Column Will Change Your Life’ - it was and still is the best written blog around! Congratulations on realising your dream and thank you for the inspirational writing. Just sent you a small and long overdue donation. Very best wishes.

Hediyeci Says:

August 29th, 2008, 3:40 am

Hi Leo,

Over the last months I became a regular reader of your great blog. That’s why I would gladly contribute to keep your motivation high.

If you could only “repair” the paypal link to make it work. Currently it only leads me to the paypal login page, but without any information about the target of the intended payment.

smithveg Says:

September 1st, 2008, 2:01 am

Who’s that person ‘name’ purposely spam this blog?
Please remove it, my admin.

Ruben Says:

September 13th, 2008, 13:11 pm

Hello,
Begging for money is ok! I am going to try to make a living off this! This is the reason why I made a website call: http://www.moneyhelpsout.com just take a look at my website and tell me what you think?
Ruben

Deco Says:

September 30th, 2008, 19:39 pm

You are inspiring me. I hope everything goes as you expected with this blog especially after you’ve quited your job.

Thank you,
decojournal

devski Says:

October 7th, 2008, 19:00 pm

Making money on the net seems to be what everyone wants to do now. Work at home, no boss, no commute, together with the family, etc. I can’t blame people not wanting a regular job, especially with its a job they hate and pays low.

The problem here is, it encourages people to quit their jobs since they see people are making money with little to no effot at all (thats what they think initially). That is why we see so many garbage on the Internet: spam, popups, search ranking tricks, affiliate links, adsense scams, etc.

I know this got nothing at all to do with you, but see you are sending a message just like everyone who tries to make a living on the net that says (implicitly) quit your lousy job because you can make money on the net! I know you learned this idea from someone else too, right?

I can’t blame those poor folks too. They are not bad, they are just trying to make a living. If they can’t make it in the real world, why not online.

Ahmad Twaijiry Says:

October 25th, 2008, 0:45 am

Hi

Thank you for this excellent blog, I just want to highlight few things that can help you in the blog.

1- For the server, don’t waste your money to get a *better* server, just look around for some big ISP hosting provider who may accept to host your blog in a dedicated fast server for free with a condition to but there logo, just make sure you convenes them with facts (number of visitors, hits …etc)
I suggest you start with rackspace.com and theplanet.com

2- Your blog design is excellent, I really don’t see why you want to change it, I love it (simple, easy, fast)

3- Remember your goal, it’s the blog, if you start adding staff like forum and other thing you will lost your focus (believe me, I know :) )

Thank you again for this great blog and good luck with your dream :)

saving-money Says:

November 1st, 2008, 22:09 pm

How about doing a guest article on my site ?

http://billeater.com/articles/ … I do have one guest writer so far. And the topic area is right up your alley.

I’ll put something in the hat for a bit of your excellent writing skills.

D. Says:

November 9th, 2008, 23:34 pm

How come do your don’t monetize your blog with adsense? I wouldn’t be offended or turned off as long as it wasn’t overblown. I think you should look for every monetization angle you can. You write a great blog and deserve to be compensated.

D. Says:

November 10th, 2008, 2:34 am

Well I feel foolish. I just started reading one of your post and noticed I had just run across a set of google ads. They were very seamless and I had never noticed them before unless they are fairly recent. Well I hope they are working for you.

Leo Says:

November 10th, 2008, 2:59 am

@D. : Yeah, I have google ads and a few others. The google ads don’t do very well at all. :)

Leo Says:

November 10th, 2008, 3:00 am

@Ahmad Twaijiry: Actually, the blog has already been redesigned. When I wrote this post the blog had another design. Thanks to the donations of readers, I was able to pay for the current design, which I actually love!

Shawn Frey Says:

January 25th, 2009, 9:48 am

Leo,

I just finished reading your interview with Tim Ferris. Are you now a full-time blogger/writer?

BTW - Love the site. Very easy to navigate, lots of good tips/advice.

All the best,
Shawn

arshad Says:

February 5th, 2009, 4:56 am

cant you go for more private ads instead of google ads ?

Tom Says:

March 1st, 2009, 9:27 am

I think that you could easily manage this. You will be a full time blogger.

Steve Says:

April 5th, 2009, 8:59 am

Am in the middle of your brilliant book, The Power of Less, which my sister bought for me on Amazon. BTW, the only reason we knew about the boo–and you–was a recommendation by Barbara Winters in her newsletter, Winning Ways. I suspect your money situation has improved dramatically since your original post. Clearly you could be doing teleclasses and seminars (maybe you are already), just a matter of how to package those things so that it works for your personality and lifestyle. Good luck, I’ll be following along on Zen habits and Write to Done. And here’s a few bucks for the bucket….

free divorce papers Says:

May 9th, 2009, 2:55 am

I have become a regular reader of your blog. The site is great and the articles you are writing are definitely worth-reading, but times are really hard. I would gladly contribute to keep your motivation high.

All the best for you!