The Freedom Advantage

When we work for someone else, the question that rules our world is:

“Who’s going to let me?”

When we work for ourselves, the question that rules our
world is:

“Who’s going to stop me?”

That’s the draw. That’s the biggest advantage to self-employment. That’s why forty-one million people in this country work for
themselves.

It’s not a financial thing — it’s a freedom thing.

Freedom in a physical sense, meaning we can do whatever we
want, wherever we want, with whomever we want, whenever we want, for as long as
we want.

Freedom in a mental sense, meaning we can empty our mind of
all the pointless,

bureaucratic noise that blocks our ability to thrive and
execute what matters.

Freedom in a creative sense, meaning we can give ourselves
permission to test out all those crazy, stupid, irrational ideas without
somebody jailing our spirit.

Freedom in a vocational sense, meaning we can focus our
efforts on doing the few things that we do better than anyone and outsource or
eliminate the rest.

Freedom in a spiritual sense, meaning we can align our
actions with our higher purpose and do great work that validates our existence
on a daily basis.

And make no mistake: When we go out on our own and take the
road less traveled, it’s no walk in the park. None of us can escape the inevitable self-motivation,
self-doubt and self-isolation that comes with the territory of hiring yourself.

But to have the freedom to stop wondering “Who’s going
to stop me?” and start asking, “Who’s going to let me?” is well worth
the cost.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What have you declined this week?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “21 Things I Learned While Spying on Myself,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

What happens when you wear a nametag all day, every day, for 4000+ days?

Strangers make fun of you, mostly.

Check out Scott’s comic strip, Adventures in Nametagging!

Why I’m Not As Successful As I Could Be

I’m not as successful as I could be.

But instead of blaming my professional situation on
economic, cultural or industry forces, I recently reflected on themental
obstacles that have been holding me back.

And I’m not looking for help, feedback, sympathy or advice. I just thought I’d
share, in the hopes that these liabilities serve as a mirror for your own.

Why am I not as successful as I could be?

Because I’d rather be
heard than paid. Since I’m more of an artist than a businessperson, I’m
more concerned with getting my work out into the world than getting money into
my bank account. And because this model has always produced enough income to
support my lifestyle, underwrite my addictions and keep the business alive, why
stop now? The only problem is, this outlook cripples my earning capacity. I feel
guilty about demanding compensation for my work.I feel physical pain when
I’m forced to assign monetary value to my intellectual property. So I’ve
conditioned the marketplace to expect my work as a gift, not a product. They’re
aware of me, but I don’t have command over them. And once you’ve given the milkaway for free, it’s hard to go back charge for the cow.

Why am I not as successful as I could be?

Because I’m once
bitten, twice shy. The last time I got really successful, I ended up in
the hospital for a week with a tube in my chest. According to my doctor, I didn’t
possess the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual wherewithal to handle my newfound
success and its accompanying stress and expectation. So my left lung collapsed.
That was six years ago. Since then, since the body has such a long memory,
part of me is still afraid of getting successful again because I don’t want my
other lung to collapse. Once you’ve seen a ghost, you’re always afraid of the
dark.

Why am I not as successful as I could be?

Because I’m more
afraid of success than failure. If I get exactly what I want, I might
realize it’s not enough. I might become a victim of my own success. I might
discover it’s not what I actually wanted all along. I might mishandle the
changes success brings into my life. I might stop taking the creative risks
that made me successful in the first place. I might succeed and miss my
emotional goal of expected failure. Or I might fail to live up to the
expectations and reputation attached to my success. Either way, these egoic
assumptions keep me from succeeding in spite of myself. It’s textbook
self-sabotage. I’drather fail because it’s familiar. I’d
rather dream from a distance because it’s safer.

Why am I not as successful as I could be?

Because I lack an
overriding sense of urgency. When I started my company, I had no debt to
cover, no spouse to support, no kids to feed, no community responsibilities to
fulfill and no social obligations to juggle. If I didn’t make a sale, nobody’s
life suffered except my own. If I didn’t bring in new business, the repercussions
were nominal. Meanwhile, my friends with looming mortgage payments and
recurring pediatrician bills were scrambling to close deals, lest their
families doubt their breadwinning abilities. By never installing acute sales
pressure early on, my life situation made me less hungry, made it too easy not
to care and made success less crucial.

Why am I not as successful as I could be?

Because I never needed
to be pedal. For the first decade of my career, business just came to me. I
never cold called or mass marketed. I simplydid a great job and
waited for the phone to ring. And this lasted for a while, but ultimately, it
was an unsustainable business model that made me complacent and passive. Later,
when the economy tanked, I was forced to decide if my product was a
necessity or a nicety. I had to determine if my past prosperity was of genuine
value, or just brilliant timing and intelligent leverage. Just because you’re riding
a bicycle downhill doesn’t mean your legs are strong.

Why am I not as successful as I could be?

Because I’m a devout
idealist. I don’t play to win, I play to keep the game going. I’m not
competitive, I’m not confrontational, I not a hunter, I don’t have the killer
instinct and I’m not a closer. I’m a quirky, sensitive, romantic, pacifist
performer. I just want to make art, make people laugh and change the world.
Unfortunately, that’s not the most profitable personality type for running an
enterprise. Idealism is valuable to the extent that you don’t let it compromise
your financial future. I swear, it seems like the more I care about something,
the harder it is to get paid for it. So Ifollow my passion to
the detriment of my own financial stability. Yay! Another opportunity
not to get paid for something.

Why am I not as successful as I could be?

Because I have childhood
issues with money. Since I came from an affluent family, I was often
embarrassed by, ridiculed for and taken advantage of for having a lot of money.
But I never wanted to be known as the rich kid,so I did whatever I could tomake
up for the fact that I was born privileged. From pretending to be middle
class to romanticizing about blue-collar jobs to acting excessively generous,I concealed
my wealth whenever possible. And it worked. Nobody knew. Except me.Fast
forward to adulthood, I’ve spent the past decade struggling to close
sales because I hate asking for money. Because deep down, every time I make a
dollar, I feel like I don’t deserve it. And you’ll never be rich if money isn’t
important to you.

Anyway, those are my issues. That’s why I’m not as successful as I could be. Thanks for listening. I’m
working on them.

For now, I hope they sparked reflection on the metal obstacles in
your own career.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

Why are you not as successful as you could be?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “153 Quotations to Inspire Your Success,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

HELLO, my name is Host!

Did
you know you could hire Scott as your emcee, mobile host, roving
reporter or on camera talent for your organization’s next event?

Watch sample footage of his hosting work here!

Isn’t Amazing How Much Energy We Invest In Procrastination?

I’ve been doing yoga for five years.

It’s changed my life physically, socially, emotionally,
spiritually and mentally. I’ve met some of the coolest people in the world who
have become dear friends. And I’ve become a member of a global a community, a
center of belonging, unlike any other in the world.

And yet, I will find every excuse not to go to class.

I’m too tired. I’m too stressed. I’m not hydrated. I’m still
sore from yesterday. I don’t have any clean clothes. I didn’t eat breakfast. I haven’t
taken my morning dump yet. It’s raining outside. I have a lot going on today. I’m
not feeling especially flexible. And I think I pulled something last class. Plus I really
need a massage. Screw it, I’ll just go tomorrow. I have to catch up on sleep
anyway. And I should really wait until I buy a better outfit. Plus, it’s not
like I can afford more classes. And I’m too full from lunch. And I can’t stand
the Wednesday night teacher’s annoying voice. And I don’t want to deal with
traffic. It’s too nice outside. Besides, I hit the cheese plate too hard last
night and I’m afraid I’ll fart. I’ll just practice at home. I’d never make
there on time anyway. Look, I’ve already practiced three times this week. That’s
enough. I really just need some rest. I just got back in town last night. I
drank way too Diet Dr. Pepper on vacation. And I’m pretty sure I’m coming down
with something and don’t want to get anybody sick.

That’s what runs through my head.

The way I see it, if I can just pile the excuses high
enough, that should be enough to rationalize my way out of going to class. If I
can just outsmart myself to the point of inaction, I can skip yoga and spend
the rest of the day congratulating myself for making such a mature, rational
and thoughtful decision.

Isn’t amazing how much energy we invest in procrastination?
Isn’t amazing what lengths we will go to in order to avoid doing something we
don’t want to do?

In fact, we have a running joke at our studio:

The first posture is
getting there.

Forget touching your head to your knee. If you can overcome
all the mental garbage that stands in the way of walking through the door,
you’re already a winner.

In yoga, in life, in anything, motion organizes and creates
order. As my friend Ed says, it is by motion that all things tend to their
equilibrium and find their place in the universe. And unrelenting motion is
what helps conspire towards some unifying geometrical situation.

Which reminds me, I need to go hydrate.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What is your favorite way to procrastinate?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For the list called, “35 Ways to Leverage Your Next Media Appearance,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Writing, Publishing, Performing, Consulting

[email protected]

Yes, I do more than just wear a nametag all day.

My enterprise is actually quite robust. I add value to my clients in several cool ways.

Explore the myriad ways you, your people and your organization can leverage my talents.

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