How I Create Income from My Sofa

When I first started getting sick, the fatigue was overwhelming and I didn’t move very far off my sofa or bed. Some days just sitting up, or getting out of bed, felt like an accomplishment. I often push myself a little harder than I should, but before I got diagnosed with lupus I was a whirlwind: a force of nature, as it were. My nickname is “Hurricane,” so to feel like I’d been downgraded to a tropical storm was a blow to my ego. Being told I could no longer work felt like a blow to my dignity. I felt like I was going to be a burden to my family and to society.

Sitting on my sofa, I just kept thinking it was me. That there was something I wasn’t doing, or something I could be doing more of. I also needed a way to alleviate the stress of what was going on. Some people knit, other people color — I started an online businesses.

During this time, I had nothing but time on my hands. I created Amazon stores, blogged more with affiliate links, I even created a lupus journal based on how I was tracking my symptoms, which actually went to the No. 1 spot in its category on Amazon. This was my form of knitting. These types of businesses allowed me to automate and earn while I was asleep. I’m not rich, but these earnings help me offset my costs.

Lupus has really dropped my life on my head, but the one thing that I have refused to give up is my earning power. Do you remember that old song, “Me and My Shadow”? Well, that’s me and my computer. When I know I’m going to the hospital, it’s one of the things I always make sure is with me. When I have high fatigue days, it is there to just rest in my lap or in my bed. When I can, I find that engulfing myself in learning new ways to earn money helps take my mind off of the pain. It even helps me feel productive while sitting on the sofa, or recovering in the hospital.

While sharing awareness on my various social media platforms, I learned that there were others who felt as I do. They wanted to learn how to earn while sitting at home. Not everyone wants to just sleep or watch TV. So I created another online business to assist others with this desire to create passive income.

I have partnered with some of the best in online marketing to teach those of us with chronic illnesses how to start online businesses. I’m pretty excited about it. However, what I am more excited about is the fact that more people will be able to cover the additional costs of prescription medicines, insurance co-pays, premiums and more with the skills they will learn there.

Learning how to earn, while putting a portion of my life on autopilot, has been a blessing for me. My goal for the future is to keep hanging out with my computer, and coming up with business solutions to help those of us who were sent home to collect disability regain some control over our financial futures, continue to be income earners, contribute more to our families, and stop feeling like we’ve been downgraded.

I am still a force of nature, I’m just a little more contained than I was before.

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Note: Lupus News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Lupus News Today, or its parent company, Bionews Services, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to lupus.