Years ago, I walked away from a career because, as I will say, "It was a dispute over money. I believed it should have been mine. My counterpart believed it should have been theirs." To this day, we don't talk, and to be transparent, I don't want to either.
Because money changes things; in other words, it gets in the way of what matters, and it puts our true character on display. It's been over a decade, and I still get caught up wondering, "What exactly do I want, versus what do I actually need," because in the moment, I'm not sure anymore.
Is it more time, more energy, more clients, more useless shit, more money? Channeling a friend as I think about his concept of the "God of More," or book another great friend bought me years ago, "The Power of One More," by Ed Mylett.
Truth? I never read it.
It does look good on my shelf of books, screaming self-validation, yet without actually providing me any. I've been thinking about "more" a lot more often lately, but not in terms of what I want, rather what I need, but that's the problem, I can't think of anything I actually need, and because I'm feeling truthful, I will admit that I probably already have everything I need.
- I don't need more time; I just want less responsibility.
- I don't need more energy, I just want more sleep.
- I don't need more money; I just want more stuff.
When I think about what I need, I mean what matters the most to me, the difference between that and what I want evaporates. Everyone wants money, everyone thinks they need more of it; it's behind everything. Every social media post, every conversation, every single advertisement, it's in our favorite tv shows, movies, pro sports, youth sports, our schooling, and everywhere else, even when you're not intentionally looking.
John Mark Comer argues that we're a society no longer shaped by faith or shared moral principles, but by consumerism, allowing the algorithm and Amazon Prime to quietly become our new gods.
The irony about me agreeing with this belief is that I wrote about it, how "ads ruin everything," and when I went to promote the video I filmed on the topic (as an ad) on YouTube, of all places, the promotion was declined. Comical, considering the world appears to make decisions solely based on money, the one thing that won't be accepted is criticism of how they make theirs, because, well, apparently, they "need more of it."
I, for one, am over it. I'm not chasing more, because I'm done pretending that more was ever the answer.
I'm lucky enough to have great-paying clients who value what I do, and even if they didn't, I would probably do this shit for free because I'm defiant.
- Do you want my course? Have it.
- Do you want professional branding photos? Sure, I'll take them for you.
- Do you want a video promo for your business? Sure, I'll do it for you.
- Do you want to be a better salesperson? Prospectur is free.
(DM Me or Email me Derek@disruptur.com)
I say all of this because I believe the world needs a reminder of what they already have, not what they think they need versus what they want, so in that case, allow me to be good for nothing, it's the "least I could do."
Thanks,
Derek
