Why "passive income" will continue to be a clickbait in 2024 and beyond

I know I am doing the same thing as many others — using “passive income” in the title as clickbait.

But let me give you some context before you crucify me:

• I love passive income;

• I hate how these “personal finance influencers” have ruined the concept's legitimacy.

I am not one of those who have lost trust in the global financial system; I am not a hermit who does not believe in the financial system; neither am I a person who has no ambition to be rich.

On the contrary, I believe in Ikigai (translates roughly as “the happiness of always being busy”). I am trying to achieve this elusive “passive income” while working in a full-time corporate role and managing my family.

I plan to create content on YouTube and write here on Medium or Substack.

But here is a reality check.

To be able to achieve the income passively, you still have to work actively, at least for a few hundred hours.

It took me over three years to realize that staying busy does not equal being productive. With no active participation in the process, passive income does not exist. Read that again, slowly.

Returning to the topic, search for the term “passive income” on any search engine, and you will find a generic definition of an income you gain without “actively” participating in the work behind it.