My pictures had no people in them, especially not me.
I felt that having me in the photo would have corrupted a great shot.
And I didn’t like how I looked.
Plus, it would be pompous to be taking so many pictures. I’m not a famous person, nor do I want to be paparazzi.
But then I realized that there were thousands of people who already have taken a picture of the Statue of Liberty, Nike’s headquarters campus, the LAX airport, and so forth.
Put yourself and loved ones in the picture to have something truly unique that you will cherish for years to come.
Yes, to be paid just to be who they are– to have people extend them the red carpet and royal treatment everywhere as if they lived in a Disney movie.
Pop the bubble and you risk teenage outrage– hey, nothing wrong with wanting nice things, going on luxury vacations, or getting someone famous on your podcast.
But wouldn’t it be so much better to do something that creates so much value that people talk about you and seek you out?
We’re all intrinsically worthy and special– so this is not about self-esteem. It’s about having a product or service that generates cash, which you can then fund your business and your lifestyle.
Because if you don’t have a business, then you’re relying upon charitable donations.
Develop a talent– it could be as simple as following clients around with a camera and pressing the red button at key moments.
I spent today with two billionaires doing just this– getting access to private boardroom meetings because I have enough skill to press a red button and behave like an adult.
Rather than self-declare that you’re an INFLUENCER, redirect your efforts into your learning and your craft.
Because how many of the people who keep insisting they are honest, really are?
How many truly wealthy people go around saying they’re rich?
When was the last time you drove through a slum with signs for “drug-free, safe neighborhood” and believed those places were safer than the ones without such signs?
You can be an INFLUENCER. But if you have to say you’re one, well…
Imagine if the score of the game was based on how many points each player thought they should be able to score.
The referee would simply tally up the wishful points from the players on each team and then declare which team won!
We had a candidate demand triple the starting salary of his position.
Rather than actually do a few tasks to demonstrate he was capable of the senior role, he tried to negotiate.
He offered to dock his requested pay by 10%. But our response was that he should be paid what he thinks he’s worth. Any less and he wouldn’t be happy with his job.
So then he said that he needed the money because he has high family expenses. But so do many of us, and this is not the welfare system.
The Facebook and Google systems reward you by performance, not taking into account the race, age, gender, or number of children of the person making the ads.
We might not like the result, but it is fair.
And the same is true in a cross-country race or marathon race. It’s how fast you can demonstrate you can run.
Not how good you look in your outfit, how hard you plead with the clock at the finish line, or how fast you think you could maybe run.
Reward people by what they can do, not what they hope.
But still, give them the opportunity to prove themselves and make available the training facilities for those who are earnest and respect the game.
