Siri made a note for me over the weekend that reads, "The disgusting monetization of the inflated sense of self." Blog coming maybe.
^^^a few days ago^^^
I was letting my dogs outside and had a random thought and Siri hooked me up. I was immediately struck by the pompous nature of the phrase. It sounds very self-congratulatory and self-assured. However, I had been thinking about what I'd read that day. I had seen a few articles and posts by "entrepreneurs" about what they were doing. It took only a short minute to decipher that they were selling themselves. And that's fine, consulting and personality and lots of things are part of my day job too. Not everyone is a factory worker or a "builder man" or a widget maker. Some people's work is ideas, or thought, or theory, or _____. However, I was shocked when I read the HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL LIVING THE DREAM ENTREPRENEUR'S POST and the first words out of my mouth (I talk to myself constantly) were "Kardashian piece of shit moron."
Oh my. That's pretty harsh. Historically, I've always been a very angry person. Very judgmental, very critical of others, very not nice. However, recent changes to my life and attitude have actually (lawd be praised) resulted in a kinder, gentler man who talks AND walks tolerance, a resistance free life, easy breezy living and an acknowledgement, at least tacitly, that everything will be just fine. Some people know why this is, some people have theories on my change, some people probably don't notice or care. Some people simply haven't seen it because I've given up on those relationships and, quite simply, walked away. Still, I think of myself as the "new" me, and that was a pretty harsh statement for the new me.
What's I've been thinking about recently has been the fact that, everywhere I turn, there is someone selling some dream or lifestyle or business venture that is founded on them. Not with them as CEO and founder of a company that provides some service or makes some object. Just them. They're selling themselves. And you can be like them. I can be like them. With bullet point journals and goals and success and so many things that I don't have now. Like a brand new Toyota 4Runner. They're really nice. And available for purchase. And impressive. And I bet the leather is nice. Certainly nicer than the beatass leather seats in my truck.
Still, I'm struck by incredible ego it must take to tell people, and show them, that financial success can be achieved simply by monetizing yourself. It takes an insane amount of hubris to advertise that your plan is successful simply because it's what you've decided will be successful. The ability to project this "success", in the form of, say, a brand new 4Runner. Hypothetically, of course. I don't wish this person ill will or failure, but I am, simply put, repulsed by their chosen profession. It may be that the world has moved forward and I am left with all of the "REAL AMERICANS" in flyover states wishing for days gone by. I just feel that one's "self" is not a profit center. One can "do" something. In the United States, all things being equal, you can "do" whatever you'd like to generate income. And that's fine. But I was sure that MLM was dead, and no one in the digital age (all are smrat because internetz) would fall for something so ridiculous and shallow and obviously unsustainable. Posting videos of yourself working out and running Facebook Live webinars to digitally high five people isn't a business. It's an assumption that everyone on the planet (or at least a few dumb bastards) want to pay you to just be you. Sort of like a Kardashian.
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