I know that seems like a miniscule amount in the grand scheme of, like, a decent livable income. But to me, all I can see is that I managed to pull in over ten grand on my own merits, without having to punch in and out on someone else's time clock.
Earlier this year, I did an exercise to figure out what my yearly income would have to be for me to feel rich. I wrote out a list of things that would make me feel rich, itemized how much each of those things would cost per month, multiplied that by 12, and came to $40K per year.
That number is TOTALLY within my grasp, especially after seeing that I already made one quarter of that this year! All of my necessities were covered all year. I sacrificed a lot (no hoop workshops or trips, save a couple Megabus jaunts to Austin), and luckily no emergencies struck. $10K is a SURVIVABLE number for me.
I know I have the capacity to meet my $40K goal. It might not happen this year, but that's okay. As long as the needle keeps moving up, I'll be a happy camper.