UKNM: Accruing value as a freelancer

[Lois Grayson]

Steve


Pensions, yes v good point. Got nothing to sell at the end of it? True

Accrual? Looking ahead? Depends on what you think life is about - if it's

about piling up money for a time when you're too knackered to really enjoy

it then yes build a business you can sell on and live life now inside your

office at clients' beck and call/shareholders whims/market perfidity to do

so. Oh by the way then you die. I know so many people who talk of 'escape

velocity'; they'll accrue enough money and then go somewhere warm and write

a book. Tomorrow and tomorrow....


Accruing value to me means giving and taking, learning, connecting and

growing, living to benefit me and everyone I meet. And finding out where my

life is going next through  intuition not (socially conditioned) judgement.

Why do we all need to plan out our lives to the nth degree? We all have this

tendency to chastise ourselves for yesterday's mistakes and to worry about

tomorrow. We spend more time yearning and coveting and thinking life would

be better with a bigger house/car/new lover/whatever than we do enjoying

this here now. It creates jealousies and anger when we don't get what we

think we deserve and we can get ourselves into a constantly anxious state

that we then seek to alleviate with pills/booze/sex/whatever.


My approach is to trust my life, knowing that the universe will provide, and

to enjoy every single moment I've got this time around as it occurs as best

I can. It's an interventionist approach - why plan for illhealth in old age

when you can enjoy keeping fit?


Find out what makes you happy and do it now! And if it stops making you

happy do something else that does. It doesn't mean ignoring life's

practicalities or giving responsibility for your welfare over to someone

else - but you can just as easily accrue 'material' value with a good

pension and a unit trust (a mortage helps too) but you won't be rich - plan

it out, set it up and then forget about what might happen and enjoy now.


Jeez I feel like the only ancient soul on the list


Lois



----- Original Message -----

From: Steve Junkston <

junkjohnston [dot] prestel [dot] co [dot] uk

>

To: UKNM <

uk-netmarketingchinwag [dot] com

>

Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2000 10:14 AM

Subject: Re: UKNM: Going Freelance



> Jess,

>

> I think the difference is mostly to do with the nature of the work I do.

> Board-level strategy. The sort of thing that senior execs know they need

if

> they are in a non-networked business but nevertheless feel that they have

> failed by having to rely on external experts.

>

> > 1. What do you mean 'Be prepared to accrue nothing'?

> My point here is that unlike part-ownership of a business, or god forbid,

> share options, at the end of ten years freelancing you have nothing to

sell

> to someone else that has got more valuable by dint of you doing a good job

> over that time. The important points about experience etc. that you make

> are, of course, crucial to your day-to-day value to the market - this

point

> was also made by Lois - and to your ability to find work tomorrow.

However,

> I find it impossible not look ahead like this and ask what will happen

when

> I am fed up doing other peoples stuff. If you are not looking ahead, then

> fine, you will probably find you are just filling a gap. Otherwise adopt

> Lois' 10 point plan but remember the pension contributions :-)  Jeez, I

feel

> like the grandaddy of the list.

>

> I accept that if your skills are more practical, in terms of design,

> programming etc, my points may seem a little extreme.

>

> Steve.

> ----------------------------------------

>

stevejohnston [dot] co [dot] uk

> t: +44 (0) 7050 6050 33

> f: +44 (0) 8707 3455 33

> ----------------------------------------


[Sam says: msg chopped]



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