Stuck in a “stable job” loop… thinking about starting an IM Journey thread

[ecoTzR]

Hey BHW

Not gonna make this a “what should I invest in?” post or one of those “give me the next money printer” threads . This is more of a mini vent + a little prelude to maybe kicking off an IM Journey here.

So yeah… right now I’ve got a stable job. Pay is decent — not peanuts, not “retire next year” either. The problem is it’s slowly eating me alive. I’m the type that’s always been into building stuff, side hustles, trying new ideas, etc. But lately I feel like I’m in that weird zone where you’re busy enough to be drained, but not progressing toward anything you actually care about.

And the honest part: I’ve been dry on ideas for a while. Not motivation — ideas. Like I can still grind, I just don’t have a clear direction that clicks. I keep bouncing between “I should build something” and “yeah but WHAT?” and then the job keeps taking all the energy.

So my goal with this thread isn’t to ask people to spoon-feed me a niche or tell me where to throw money. I’m more interested in the process side of things — how you guys find ideas, validate them, get inspired, and choose what’s worth testing.

Some stuff I’d love to hear from others (and I’ll share my own as I go too):

• Where do you normally get your ideas from? (forums, marketplaces, ads library, keyword tools, flipping sites, trends, etc.)
• Do you pick based on profitability first, or based on skills/interest first?
• Do you go “follow the demand” (SEO/affiliate), “create demand” (social/brand), or just test fast and let the market decide?
• How do you personally decide “this is worth a 30-day test” vs “this is a shiny object”?

Also random question: does BHW VIP open up more sections that are actually useful for brainstorming / case studies / idea mining? I’ve seen people mention it, not sure if it’s worth it for this phase or if it’s mostly the same rabbit hole but paid lol.

Anyway, this might just be me putting it out there to stay accountable. But who knows — if I can lock onto something, I’ll start a proper Journey after this thread and document it (wins, fails, numbers, the whole thing).

If anyone else is in the same “stable job but mentally cooked” phase, feel free to jump in. Even if you’re not, I’d love to hear your real method for finding opportunities — not the guru stuff.

Let’s make it useful for everyone following along.

 

[medialounge]

Where do you normally get your ideas from

From problems which align with area I don't get tired of providing solutions for
This gives the highest form of motivation without quenching for.years

 

[ecoTzR]

Where do you normally get your ideas from

From problems which align with area I don't get tired of providing solutions for
This gives the highest form of motivation without quenching for.years

Makes sense. I usually get ideas from things I’m into too — the problem is I’ve been stuck in a routine lately (same circles, same content), so I’m not seeing new problems/opportunities.

Any go-to websites/forums/threads you use for brainstorming/idea mining? Looking for places with real pain points, demand signals, case studies, etc — not asking for a niche, just your sources/process.

Thanks for tour reply mate!!

 

[arig0ld]

Man, that 'drained by the 9-5 but going nowhere' phase is brutal. Totally feel you on that.

Honestly, stop overthinking the 'perfect' new idea. The best stuff usually starts by copying what’s already making money. Don't try to create demand; just find a painful problem people are already paying to solve and offer a slightly better angle. Profit usually beats passion when you're starting out because success creates its own interest.

Just pick something 'boring' that works and run a cheap, fast test. Don't let VIP or endless brainstorming become procrastination tools. Fire up that Journey thread, action beats overthinking any day

 

[ecoTzR]

Man, that 'drained by the 9-5 but going nowhere' phase is brutal. Totally feel you on that.

Honestly, stop overthinking the 'perfect' new idea. The best stuff usually starts by copying what’s already making money. Don't try to create demand; just find a painful problem people are already paying to solve and offer a slightly better angle. Profit usually beats passion when you're starting out because success creates its own interest.

Just pick something 'boring' that works and run a cheap, fast test. Don't let VIP or endless brainstorming become procrastination tools. Fire up that Journey thread, action beats overthinking any day

Appreciate this a lot, seriously. You’re right — that phase is brutal and I’ve probably been guilty of overthinking / hunting for the “perfect” idea.

 

[ldmagency]

Hey BHW

Not gonna make this a “what should I invest in?” post or one of those “give me the next money printer” threads . This is more of a mini vent + a little prelude to maybe kicking off an IM Journey here.

So yeah… right now I’ve got a stable job. Pay is decent — not peanuts, not “retire next year” either. The problem is it’s slowly eating me alive. I’m the type that’s always been into building stuff, side hustles, trying new ideas, etc. But lately I feel like I’m in that weird zone where you’re busy enough to be drained, but not progressing toward anything you actually care about.

And the honest part: I’ve been dry on ideas for a while. Not motivation — ideas. Like I can still grind, I just don’t have a clear direction that clicks. I keep bouncing between “I should build something” and “yeah but WHAT?” and then the job keeps taking all the energy.

So my goal with this thread isn’t to ask people to spoon-feed me a niche or tell me where to throw money. I’m more interested in the process side of things — how you guys find ideas, validate them, get inspired, and choose what’s worth testing.

Some stuff I’d love to hear from others (and I’ll share my own as I go too):

• Where do you normally get your ideas from? (forums, marketplaces, ads library, keyword tools, flipping sites, trends, etc.)
• Do you pick based on profitability first, or based on skills/interest first?
• Do you go “follow the demand” (SEO/affiliate), “create demand” (social/brand), or just test fast and let the market decide?
• How do you personally decide “this is worth a 30-day test” vs “this is a shiny object”?

Also random question: does BHW VIP open up more sections that are actually useful for brainstorming / case studies / idea mining? I’ve seen people mention it, not sure if it’s worth it for this phase or if it’s mostly the same rabbit hole but paid lol.

Anyway, this might just be me putting it out there to stay accountable. But who knows — if I can lock onto something, I’ll start a proper Journey after this thread and document it (wins, fails, numbers, the whole thing).

If anyone else is in the same “stable job but mentally cooked” phase, feel free to jump in. Even if you’re not, I’d love to hear your real method for finding opportunities — not the guru stuff.

Let’s make it useful for everyone following along.

Honestly, I’m in the same boat
Stuck in the stable job loop and thinking about starting an IM journey, but not sure where to begin. Trying to figure things out and looking for ideas or inspiration from others who started.

 

[FirstLight]

Hey BHW

Not gonna make this a “what should I invest in?” post or one of those “give me the next money printer” threads . This is more of a mini vent + a little prelude to maybe kicking off an IM Journey here.

So yeah… right now I’ve got a stable job. Pay is decent — not peanuts, not “retire next year” either. The problem is it’s slowly eating me alive. I’m the type that’s always been into building stuff, side hustles, trying new ideas, etc. But lately I feel like I’m in that weird zone where you’re busy enough to be drained, but not progressing toward anything you actually care about.

And the honest part: I’ve been dry on ideas for a while. Not motivation — ideas. Like I can still grind, I just don’t have a clear direction that clicks. I keep bouncing between “I should build something” and “yeah but WHAT?” and then the job keeps taking all the energy.

So my goal with this thread isn’t to ask people to spoon-feed me a niche or tell me where to throw money. I’m more interested in the process side of things — how you guys find ideas, validate them, get inspired, and choose what’s worth testing.

Some stuff I’d love to hear from others (and I’ll share my own as I go too):

• Where do you normally get your ideas from? (forums, marketplaces, ads library, keyword tools, flipping sites, trends, etc.)
• Do you pick based on profitability first, or based on skills/interest first?
• Do you go “follow the demand” (SEO/affiliate), “create demand” (social/brand), or just test fast and let the market decide?
• How do you personally decide “this is worth a 30-day test” vs “this is a shiny object”?

Also random question: does BHW VIP open up more sections that are actually useful for brainstorming / case studies / idea mining? I’ve seen people mention it, not sure if it’s worth it for this phase or if it’s mostly the same rabbit hole but paid lol.

Anyway, this might just be me putting it out there to stay accountable. But who knows — if I can lock onto something, I’ll start a proper Journey after this thread and document it (wins, fails, numbers, the whole thing).

If anyone else is in the same “stable job but mentally cooked” phase, feel free to jump in. Even if you’re not, I’d love to hear your real method for finding opportunities — not the guru stuff.

Let’s make it useful for everyone following along.

At today's economy there is nothing wrong with stable job. Majority of the people are afraid of being pushed to gig-economy. Of course it is human nature to try to do something bigger so I do get your point but I would not call it being cooked.

 

[ecoTzR]

At today's economy there is nothing wrong with stable job. Majority of the people are afraid of being pushed to gig-economy. Of course it is human nature to try to do something bigger so I do get your point but I would not call it being cooked.

I get your point, and I agree — in today’s economy a stable job is nothing to look down on. I’m grateful for it.

What I mean by “cooked” isn’t that the job is bad or that stability is wrong. It’s more the mindset that keeps flooding my head: that inner fire a lot of us have to put our time/energy into building something of our own. Even if it doesn’t mean instantly earning more — just knowing there’s some scalability tied to your work, and not wanting to settle purely for stability.

Not sure I’m explaining it perfectly, but I think anyone who’s in the same situation will instantly know what I mean.