Wise words on business from a genuine fellow I know named Sherpa John.
- Don't sell yourself short. If you think you're worth X number of dollars at your job.. push to make X number of dollars.
- Making less than half of that X number of dollars is an insult to yourself, your family, and your degree/work.
- Never let someone take advantage of you, your creativity and your skill set... as a way to better themselves, take all the credit, and leave you behind.
- Appreciation is more than a thank you, or a paycheck.. it's getting credit where credit is due..
- Your co-workers... are ALWAYS out to get out. Remember, that any fodder you can give others to bring you down that could raise them up.. they'll use.
- They don't really care about you and in most cases, you're not really good friends. Beware of the superficial friendships.
- Your time is worth something.. maybe it's not money, maybe it's more than recognition.. whatever it is... don't work for free.
- That boss you hate or don't quite get along with... down the road, you might discover that he's the best you ever had and you'll miss working for him.. it's true. You'll discover this when working for someone worse. :)
- You have a right to not sign or amend a no-compete clause.. research what that clause means in your state and if your employer can actually enforce it.
- If your employer lies to get business, fudges the numbers to pay the government less, takes all the credit for your work, makes a lot of excuses, and makes it a mission to take down any and all competition... LEAVE. This is an incredibly dishonest way to conduct business.. imagine what he's doing for/to you when you're not watching.
"One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast... See More… a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.” Ed Abbey
