On the 'Sin' of Being Too Nice to Charge Money: Our Guilt Over Not Being Able to Monetize Goodwill

"Is it really okay for me to accept this much money?"
"Charging money feels like being a miser, and I hate that."

If you are someone who can't bring yourself to put a price on your own articles or content, raise your hand~~~🖐️🖐️🖐️

Today, I want to talk to you, who are too nice to charge money and feel resistant to receiving payment. It might be a bit hard to hear, but it is something you absolutely need to listen to.

Let me start with the conclusion.

Creating something good but not charging for it.
That is not a "virtue," it is a "sin."

Today, I want to write about the "sin" of not accepting payment when you are in a position to do so.

Money is a "barometer of value" and a "proof of trust"

First, try starting by removing your mental blocks regarding money.

Many Japanese people have been conditioned to believe that "money = something dirty" and "making money = evil."

We have been conditioned since we were small to think that charging money is stingy, bad, and greedy.

But that is a huge mistake.

In business, money is simply a "barometer of value."

When you provide value to someone, and they are moved or saved by it.

That "feeling of gratitude" quantified and stored in a usable form is "money."

In other words, being able to receive money is irrefutable proof that you are "trusted" and "respected."

Refusing that by saying, "Oh no, that's quite alright," is the same as saying you won't accept the trust and respect from the other person.

Rather, isn't it professional integrity to accept it properly and reply, "Thank you! I'll make something even better next time!"?

Free services kill your "future"

"I'm just doing this as a hobby."
"As long as they are happy, that's enough for me."
What happens if you keep accepting things for free while saying that?

I will state this clearly.
Your motivation will not last.

Humans cannot live on thin air.
Even though you are depleting your own resources—your skills and your time—to provide something, if nothing comes back in return, there will inevitably come a day when you break down, thinking, 'Why am I working so hard...?'

The sense of fulfillment will eventually fade and disappear.
You cannot keep up the grueling work of writing forever on just a sense of fulfillment.

Because you are evaluated in a visible form called money, every time you earn money, a new sense of fulfillment is born, and I think that's what makes you feel like you want to write even better articles.

And you know what?
There is one more thing that is even more terrifying.

If you do it for free, your own evaluation will never rise.

If people think, 'It's free anyway,' then no matter how passionate you are or how much you love your readers, it will all end up having zero value.

Once you are labeled as 'that convenient person who does things for free,' your value stops right there.

You must not lower your own value.

Charging money is a gift of 'commitment' to the other party.

This is the most important thing I want to convey today.

Charging money is not just for your own sake.
It is actually for the sake of the customer (the other party) as well.

Try to imagine it.

A free pack of tissues handed out on the street versus a high-quality box of tissues bought at a department store for 500 yen. Which one would you treat with more care?

The value of information is the same.

No matter how wonderful the know-how is, information obtained for 'free' will just go in one ear and out the other.

It ends with, 'Huh, that was interesting.'
It does not lead to action.

But what if you paid 50,000 yen for it?

You would think, 'I paid 50,000 yen, so I'm definitely going to put this into practice until I get my money's worth!' and you would read it seriously with a different look in your eyes and take action, right?

As for me, I would practice every single detail with bloodshot eyes until the day I could earn that 50,000 yen.
I mean, I'm stingy enough to still be reading the information products I bought 15 years ago (lol).

To get back to the point...
Setting a fair price is also about encouraging the other party to be 'prepared'. It is also that.

It's not about things being good because they're free or good because they're cheap.
I'm going to give it my all, so I want you to give it your all too.
Exchanging money is how we both commit to that resolve.

We need to charge money to make the other person serious and to help them achieve results.

Selling at the right price is 'justice'.

If you are creating something good, charge for it with confidence.
Press the publish button on your paid article with your head held high.

After all, you're confident in the content, right?
You know they'll be satisfied, right?

Then there's no need to hesitate.

If you receive fair compensation and become prosperous,you can study further and give back even higher quality services to the world.

That is how you keep the economy moving and create a cycle of value.

Selling at the right price is undeniably 'justice'.

If the content you want to sell is still thin, you can set it lower at first and enrich the content while listening to user feedback.
Once you've enriched it, you can gradually raise the price to maintain a fair value, and you'll be all set!!

Graduate from being a 'nice person' and become a 'professional'.

The people who truly understand your value won't leave just because you asked for money.

In fact, they should be happy to open their wallets, saying, 'I've been waiting for this!'

Come on, start putting the right price tag on your wonderful talent today.

Because that is a sign of respect for yourself and love for those who believe in you.

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