GM: This is Letters by Elgwaro – letters sweeter than perfumed high school love letters. I’ll let you keep tabs on the gig economy as you plan to escape the rat race.
Today I’ll be serving
- ???? Nugget
- ???? Gig Quote
- ???? Gig-Treats
I traveled to Kisii this Easter to attend a burial. Don’t feel sorry, though. This burial was more of a celebration.
We laid to rest our great-grandmother, who lived for 104 freaking years. Some claim she lived longer. Maybe 120. But just the idea that she hit 100 blows my mind.
During the eulogy, it was mentioned that she bore 13 children, 69 grandchildren, and 340 great-grandchildren. Four hundred and twenty-two sentient beings came from that one human being. Damn, that’s a village.
As she grew frail and her energy dissipated, what continued to stand out for those who cherished her was her kindness and love for everyone.
I hit my head several times for never having created time to visit her while she was alive. May she rest in peace.
During the burial, I happened to sit in the midst of countless old folks. Indeed, the atmosphere felt and smelled old.
At one moment, it dawned on me that one day I would end up an old folk struggling with the idea that my time was approaching faster than a wrongly timed overtaking vehicle, just like every old folk who was seated next to me.
Then I asked myself, “when I get to my old age, what is the one decision I’ve made that I will be proud of no matter what happens?”
And the first thing that popped up in my mind was choosing to pursue a career that gives me purpose, a reason to smile, and most certainly freedom.
I hope you’ll be able to share that joy with me 50 years from now, when I’ll be 77.
Over the past week, I’ve been reading “The Almanack of Naval Ravikant,” a guide to wealth and happiness by Tim Ferriss. He takes you through the life lessons he’s learned from Naval Ravikant, one of the most successful angel investors in Silicon Valley.
One quote particularly hit home.
“You’re never going to get rich renting out your time”
The systems in place today function very well. I have nothing against them. In fact, I’m currently employed, and I continue to rent my time because, besides enjoying the work, I want a paycheck at the end of the month. So I can’t sh*t where I sit.
But I really want to make more money than I can spend (bearing in mind that my desires are crazy, from living in a penthouse to owning a horse farm).
Luckily, I don’t inherently deem genuine millionaires and billionaires as bad people. I admire them.
All along I’ve been thinking about how I need to work harder, put more man-hours behind the laptop, take more energy drinks for the night shifts, and basically work myself till I burn out to achieve what they have.
Have you ever come across a statement that makes you think, “I know this, but I’ve never thought of it that way”? That was my exact thought. It took my perspective to Suplex City and turned it upside down.
In this context, “work smart, not hard” means you should start delegating all non-essential tasks and focusing on those you’re best at.
Use your earnings to hire people who can give you the time to do higher-level tasks in whatever online business you’re doing.
As they take on those tasks, the potential to scale your productivity grows exponentially, as does your opportunity to make more money.
I’m going to leave it at that for today.
- If you’re planning to quit your job and venture into building a business in the gig economy, you better know the role your current job plays first.
What did you think about today’s letter?