You know, it's interesting how much I have changed in the last year. I used to be the kind of persont that worried about every mistake that they made, wanted everything to be perfect, wouldn't put up with things that are less than stellar. Recently, partially because I am trying to run my own business, which is a scary idea in itself, I am finding that more and more I'm all about 'what works.' Why? Because I don't have enough hours in the day to fix all the mistakes I make. Simply said, mistakes are part of the learning process, and I'm already paying for them once, so no need to agonize over making them twice.
The thing is, as I get older, I realize that just because I make a mistake doesn't mean I have to worry about making a mistake again and again. Most days, I like to think I learn from my mistkaes (well, no one is perfect!) but I do try and learn from everything I do, to adapt, and change when necessary. I've learned to dress better, eat better, exercise better, even, at times, write better, and I know I'll continue to grow as long as I want that.
I did an online test one time to see if I was a 'qualified' person for running their own business, and two areas that really matter in being an entrepreneur were 'ability to believe in what you do no matter what people say' and 'ability to not get caught up in mistakes.' I admit that these areas are difficult for me because I know I have an overwhelming desire sometimes to have people like me, or at least respect me. But, the truth is, I am trying to change my ways. I know I don't do things completely perfectly, but I am trying to do things that are good enough for me, and good enough for other people.
I really appreciate how patient my friends and family have been in my life while I make some of these mistakes, and I hope one day that I can help others grow and be successful and learn from mistakes as I make them.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
TOW: I'm Being Emotional
I am having a week where I'm being a bit emotional.
I think that's because sometimes I forget that happiness is the difference between wanting to be happy, and wanting to be sad.
The truth about life is that you never know what is going to happen next. Some people find that exciting. It stresses me out, generally speaking. And not because I don't like things changing. I just don't like things changing for the worse.
I think sometimes I forget that reality has its own brand of logic that doesn't measure up with my ability to reason with myself. And I think sometimes that makes me into an Emotional Andy.
I think that's because sometimes I forget that happiness is the difference between wanting to be happy, and wanting to be sad.
The truth about life is that you never know what is going to happen next. Some people find that exciting. It stresses me out, generally speaking. And not because I don't like things changing. I just don't like things changing for the worse.
I think sometimes I forget that reality has its own brand of logic that doesn't measure up with my ability to reason with myself. And I think sometimes that makes me into an Emotional Andy.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Business Website Is Almost Finished
I promise to let you all look at it once it's done.
It's just not quite done. Yet.
It's just not quite done. Yet.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
TOW: Happy Valentine's Day
I'm not going to post much here because The Oatmeal actually took out all the things I was going to write about today, and condensed them into a cartoon. I am going to say that Valentine's Day is something that can be a great holiday themed day, just like any day.
I remember back in high school, being on the student council, often what would happen is we would have themed days. There would be people that forget, people that didn't care, and people that made fun of the holiday. I find most people have a similar response to Valentine's Day...it's a themed day. And people have various reactions to themed days. Super unfortunately, a lot of people take Valentine's Day as a comment on their love life and success as a human being. (Which I find a little embarassing, by the way. Grow a pair, already.)
Other people have commented and said it's a Hallmark holiday--this is true, but I don't see anything wrong with business profiting off of holidays. After all, these businesses pay a large portion of people's wages. Marketers are doing good things for business.
Enjoy the Oatmeal cartoon, it's right up there with the Bear cartoons he makes.
http://theoatmeal.com/blog/valentines_day
I remember back in high school, being on the student council, often what would happen is we would have themed days. There would be people that forget, people that didn't care, and people that made fun of the holiday. I find most people have a similar response to Valentine's Day...it's a themed day. And people have various reactions to themed days. Super unfortunately, a lot of people take Valentine's Day as a comment on their love life and success as a human being. (Which I find a little embarassing, by the way. Grow a pair, already.)
Other people have commented and said it's a Hallmark holiday--this is true, but I don't see anything wrong with business profiting off of holidays. After all, these businesses pay a large portion of people's wages. Marketers are doing good things for business.
Enjoy the Oatmeal cartoon, it's right up there with the Bear cartoons he makes.
http://theoatmeal.com/blog/valentines_day
Sunday, February 06, 2011
TOW: How Much Are You Worth?
You know, I have been thinking a lot lately about what I should charge people, and how much I am 'worth' in terms of value to a company, to myself, to other people.
If we add up our value as simple chemical elements in our bodies, we're worth about $4.50.
As a cadaver, we're worth $80,000.
Living body parts that we insure are about $125,000-250,00.
According to Time, a year of life for a human being is worth $50,000.
If we gave all our bone marrow away, we would have $23 million dollars.
But how much is our work worth? How much is our work and ability to provide a service and produce products worth?
As a freelancer, no one can determine how much you're worth, unless you let them do that. And frankly, you should already know how much you're worth before you start taking on clients.
I have to think about what I would charge people, every day. Some days it's hard to explain to people why you're worth anything at all. I mean, they can just replace you, right? How about we just hire a student to do it, like an intern? (The term intern cannot die soon enough.)
The thing is, you're not totally replacable. Everyone thinks that they can do your job, and you know what? They usually can. Can they do it as well as you can, or as quickly? Maybe. But I know that it is something I struggle with daily to make sure that I deliever something that no one else can, yet still deliver on the same things that matter to everyone. In other words, you have to be the product, and provide the service. (That sort of thought is for another post, I suppose.) You are unique when you work, and when you really love what you are doing, you are worth much, much more than other people are in the same position, doing the same work.
You have to fight for what you're worth. The amount of cash you charge directly depends on how confident you are in your own abilities and your own feelings. The more confident you are, the more you will provide services that you are happy with and a paycheck you can take home at the end of the day. The less confident you are, the more likely you can be questioned on your value.
I know that I have to work on being confident sometimes and asking for money from people is not something I like doing on a regular basis. But, on the other hand, we all deserve to thrive and have success, whatever that means to us. And we don't get there without ensuring that we are paid what we are worth.
If we add up our value as simple chemical elements in our bodies, we're worth about $4.50.
As a cadaver, we're worth $80,000.
Living body parts that we insure are about $125,000-250,00.
According to Time, a year of life for a human being is worth $50,000.
If we gave all our bone marrow away, we would have $23 million dollars.
But how much is our work worth? How much is our work and ability to provide a service and produce products worth?
As a freelancer, no one can determine how much you're worth, unless you let them do that. And frankly, you should already know how much you're worth before you start taking on clients.
I have to think about what I would charge people, every day. Some days it's hard to explain to people why you're worth anything at all. I mean, they can just replace you, right? How about we just hire a student to do it, like an intern? (The term intern cannot die soon enough.)
The thing is, you're not totally replacable. Everyone thinks that they can do your job, and you know what? They usually can. Can they do it as well as you can, or as quickly? Maybe. But I know that it is something I struggle with daily to make sure that I deliever something that no one else can, yet still deliver on the same things that matter to everyone. In other words, you have to be the product, and provide the service. (That sort of thought is for another post, I suppose.) You are unique when you work, and when you really love what you are doing, you are worth much, much more than other people are in the same position, doing the same work.
You have to fight for what you're worth. The amount of cash you charge directly depends on how confident you are in your own abilities and your own feelings. The more confident you are, the more you will provide services that you are happy with and a paycheck you can take home at the end of the day. The less confident you are, the more likely you can be questioned on your value.
I know that I have to work on being confident sometimes and asking for money from people is not something I like doing on a regular basis. But, on the other hand, we all deserve to thrive and have success, whatever that means to us. And we don't get there without ensuring that we are paid what we are worth.
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