The crap that passes for advice on how to work is frequently shocking and, if one had to live with it, disheartening to put it mildly. I think I'd rather just jam a spoon into my eye. Here the advice at the Young Black Professional Guide - mind you, these are a summation of what someone things work is supposed to be - this is their 'rules' - their vision of the majesty of … [Read more...]
Reclaiming the Meaning of Money & Time
A friend and I were talking the other day about how we're so used to thinking, as employees, of everything as net. The company takes out taxes and healthcare, and what's left - that's what you live on. But when you're self-employed, you pay self-employment tax on top of your income tax, and you have to bank that out of every deal. So If you made $400, you really only made $200. … [Read more...]
The Power of Negative Thinking
I tend to solve problems like Sherlock Holmes. Negatively. By removing things. By denying and rejecting things. As Sherlock said he did, I eliminate all the impossibilities and am left, for whatever it may cost, with the truth. But sometimes, when you've eliminated all the impossibilities, there's nothing left. The problem is simply impossible. At that moment, you can dream the … [Read more...]
The Tribe and the Lords of Flatbush
I'm not officialy a social entrepreneur. I aspire to be, but I'm not, yet. As a micro-entrepreneur, it'd be a stretch to suggest otherwise. I do have people that work for me all over the world. And my contribution is to treat them with justice and fairness. To be honorable. Arguably, I'm not changing the world except in a microscopic way. Image via Wikipedia Still, that … [Read more...]
Work As Therapy, not Disease
So much of what passes for "professionalism" in a corporate environment is dysfunctional in life as a whole. In fact, when it begins to be believed, as a principle for life, it actually becomes mental illness. Image by stuant63 via FlickrNeurosis: includes the inability to separate perception from reality. "My perception is my reality." You hear it in corporate staff … [Read more...]
