Someone is stealing your life (1990)
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Someone is stealing your life (1990)
1–10 of 165 posts
Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)
#2It's easy to be indignant when you wilfully misunderstand and/or ignore the fundamental principles of human society.
Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)
#3> On the other hand - or so they say - you're free, and if you don't like your job you can pursue happiness by starting a business of your very own, by becoming an "independent" entrepreneur. But you're only as independent as your credit rating. And to compete in the business community, you'll find yourself having to treat others - your employees - as much like slaves as you can get away with.
The whole piece is like that.
Self-defeating. Blame others for problems. Finding trivial problems insurmountable. And also - flat out false.
He overlooks some basic things - like that you can work part time, freelance, or save up your money and then not work for a few years.
Some jobs and are enjoyable and people like their work.
There's no rule that says you have to be a shitty boss.
You don't need a credit rating to do business.
But mostly, it's just all self-defeating negative nonsense. I've basically never been salaried, I started in business with no credit rating at all (I avoided credit cards like the plague, so I got a credit rating at all relatively late in life), and I've never had to slavedrive anyone.
It's easier to blame others than to look for solutions. Probably feels better. But it's nonsense. You can build a pretty good life with some effort. Takes effort, true. But it's there if you want it.
Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)
#4This is from 1990, and from my viewpoint I think a lot has changed in the past 20+ years. Of course there are still factory jobs, but if you want freedom you can find it as long as you look to the future with open eyes.
Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)
#5> On the other hand - or so they say - you're free, and if you don't like your job you can pursue happiness by starting a business of your very own, by becoming an "independent" entrepreneur. But you're only as independent as your credit rating. And to compete in the business community, you'll find yourself having to treat others - your employees - as much like slaves as you can get away with. The whole piece is like…
Also, take a look at the jobs he's listed as doing. That's not the career path of someone who has any direction or ambition, it's the career path of someone who takes whatever job comes along because he's out of money and desperate.
I know, because I used to be that guy. My early career path looks like this: work at dad's restaurant, work at mom's jewelry store, temp agency, Cutco salesman, furniture assembler, temp agency, retail salesman in the mall, ear piercer, retail salesman in the mall.
Then I finally got my act together (thanks to a not-entirely-honest-but-still-greatly-appreciated recruiter) and went Navy, freelance IT, freelance programmer, salaried programmer, freelance programmer, published iOS app, entrepreneur.
Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)
#6HN is not really a good place to post this.
Here the audience is mostly aspiring "entrepreneurs" dreaming of making it big, so they are tied to the rat race and take all the "american dream" BS to heart.
Apart from a statistical insignificant minority that will "make it", the majority can always come back to it in 10-20 years, when they are bitter and wised enough.
Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)
#7It's easy to be indignant when you wilfully misunderstand and/or ignore the fundamental principles of human society.
It's also easy to believe that what goes on in your small part of the world is according to the "fundamental principles of human society".
Most of the shit you take from your employers wouldn't fly on advanced Western European (inc. Scandinavian) countries.
To quote G. Bernard Shaw, "he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature."
Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)
#8> On the other hand - or so they say - you're free, and if you don't like your job you can pursue happiness by starting a business of your very own, by becoming an "independent" entrepreneur. But you're only as independent as your credit rating. And to compete in the business community, you'll find yourself having to treat others - your employees - as much like slaves as you can get away with. The whole piece is like…
Also, take a look at the jobs he's listed as doing. That's not the career path of someone who has any direction or ambition, it's the career path of someone who takes whatever job comes along because he's out of money and desperate. I know, because I used to be that guy. My early career path looks like this: work at dad's restaurant, work at mom's jewelry store, temp agency, Cutco salesman, furniture assembler, temp…
I've been out of money and desperate at various times. It sucks. But if you point the blame only outwards, you're very likely to remain broke and desperate.
Own everything. Take all responsibility for everything that happens to you, even if it wasn't your fault. This leads to some instant satisfaction in terms of feeling more in control of your life. And long term, you do a hell of a lot better.
I try to own everything, even if it wasn't my fault. Especially if it wasn't my fault.
Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
Also, take a look at the jobs he's listed as doing. That's not the career path of someone who has any direction or ambition, it's the career path of someone who takes whatever job comes along because he's out of money and desperate. I know, because I used to be that guy. My early career path looks like this: work at dad's restaurant, work at mom's jewelry store, temp agency, Cutco salesman, furniture assembler, temp…
I've been out of money and desperate at various times. It sucks. But if you point the blame only outwards, you're very likely to remain broke and desperate. Own everything. Take all responsibility for everything that happens to you, even if it wasn't your fault. This leads to some instant satisfaction in terms of feeling more in control of your life. And long term, you do a hell of a lot better. I try to own everythi…
Exactly, the moment when you realize that 99% of bad things that happen to you or success you're NOT getting are directly or indirectly the result of you putting yourself in that situation is the moment you become free.
Re: Someone is stealing your life (1990)
#10> On the other hand - or so they say - you're free, and if you don't like your job you can pursue happiness by starting a business of your very own, by becoming an "independent" entrepreneur. But you're only as independent as your credit rating. And to compete in the business community, you'll find yourself having to treat others - your employees - as much like slaves as you can get away with. The whole piece is like…
> He overlooks some basic things - like that you can work part time, freelance, or save up your money and then not work for a few years.
It seems the authors works as a novelist/writer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Ventura. He probably didn't overlooked this exit strategy.