I’ve Been Sitting on $50,000 Worth of Notes

Why I stopped hoarding knowledge and started turning insights into assets

I’m sitting on years of notes.

Ideas scribbled during meetings. Insights from books I’ve read three times. Random thoughts that seemed brilliant at 2 AM. Frameworks I developed solving real problems.

All trapped in notebooks and digital files, doing absolutely nothing.

Last month, I calculated what this knowledge could be worth if I actually shared it. Conservative estimate: $50,000 USD annually in courses, consulting, and content.

That’s when I realized: I was hoarding currency instead of spending it.

The hardest part wasn’t creating the knowledge. It was admitting I’d been keeping it locked away while complaining I had nothing valuable to share.

We’re living through the biggest economic shift in decades, and most people are missing it.

Information is today’s currency.

Not just access to information—everyone has Google. Curated, connected, contextualized information that helps people make better decisions faster.

Publishing content lets others access your knowledge, but more importantly, it transforms your insights from expenses (time spent learning) into assets (knowledge that generates value).

The old economy: Trade time for money, retire with savings The new economy: Trade knowledge for assets, build systems that work without you

But most people keep their best insights locked away, waiting for the “perfect” original idea.

They’re missing the point entirely.

Here’s what I used to believe about sharing knowledge:

• I need completely original ideas

• My thoughts must be fully formed before sharing

• Notes are private until they’re perfect

• The only way to monetize knowledge is hourly consulting

Everything already exists in some form. Art is the rearrangement of what’s known.

Your unique combination of experiences, perspectives, and insights creates originality through connection, not invention.

The breakthrough insight: The value isn’t in having original thoughts—it’s in making new connections between existing ideas.

The Note-to-Asset System That Generated Real Income

After years of letting knowledge gather dust, I built a systematic approach to turn notes into income-generating assets:

Step 1: Break Notes Into Smaller, Linkable Parts

Instead of waiting for the perfect essay, I started extracting individual insights from my notes.