You should charge others for the gifts you give them.
Somewhere between crazy and common sense lies a cultural ideology about caring for people. I seem to be near the crazy side of things. Evaluating my actions over my ideas, I’ve created the perfect business model.
Let me pay you to work for you. (Spoiler alert - This Doesn’t Work - er.. pay)
As a pastor, people are my life. Advocacy has often been the currency of my purpose and identity. No matter the cost, leaving this calling is impossible. During droughts and economic burdens, I’ve learned to adapt, create, and invest in learning new skills and experiences that connect me to people who I can help. And sometimes, those skills result in lucrative ventures. Sometimes not.
Well. I think I may have given away over $8M. [More on that in the future]
CREATIVITY
Learning to breathe under the waters of creative expression, critical thinking, and cultural exposure, is a wonderful experience. I love it. And honestly, I believe that the joy of creating new ideas is so thrilling that it makes me feel guilty thinking other people should pay me for it. Remember my business model?
Glory Landscaping, “We Pay You To Make Your Lawn Glorious!” - it won’t work.
People have a tendency to devalue their giftedness when ideas come easy to them and they give their time away, especially when they are passionate about helping other people. Both my helping and the easy way in which ideas come have caused me to shy from making a proper living at times.
Inspiration of ideas is easy. Creation is even easier. Monetizing is impossible.
As an idea enters my mind, there comes an orchestra, tuning to A, arresting the idea like the tentacles of the Kraken pulling the Black Pearl into the depths. Yet, what arises is new, alive, better than before, expanding, breathing, living, and exhilarating!
Deep drowning of thought (the positive side of drowning) is life-giving and learning to breathe under the waters of creative expression has given me light and enjoyment for decades. I love it. Creating for others?
I can’t breathe. I don’t need to. It breathes for me.
CULTURE
“Welcome to the show, let’s take caller number 3…”
Radio. One of my first loves provided the opportunity for speaking my thoughts, without a script. Keeping the conversation going while also working out problems in my head.
I am fascinated with culture… it’s people.
Having a hand in many things gives me what a mentor called, “Tools in your toolbelt.”
These tools get noticed. Had I had all the brass rings offered to me through the years, I’d have an anchor chain that reached the bottom of the Marianas trench. Yet culture has always said, “You know, being successful means finding your one thing and making that who you are, doing it well, and retiring at death.”
I don’t buy into that idea. And in the sense that I don’t, I often couldn’t buy anything.
CURRENCY
Skills and expertise make a man rich only when he sees them as a gift having value. Having a creative mind doesn’t devalue the output. It took a while to learn this valuable lesson and with practice, it can become instinctive without arrogance. My saxophone teacher in college said, “Practice makes permanent, only perfect practice makes perfect permanent.” So, my practice of devaluing my experience devalued the expertise and wisdom that also came along.
I had a difficult time seeing the value in what came easily. If often felt fake or as if I was an imposter. Having expertise in so many areas made me feel like an expert on nothing. Just a hobbyist living in a fantasy.
Because it came too easy.
And because I live for helping others, it felt dishonest.
I often felt like Mr. Haney from Green Acres, rolling along in my junk flatbed, bald tires kicking up dust behind me looking for the next sucker to offload my trash for a dime. So, giving things away solved the problem and filled the wallet of my personal worth to the brim, leaving me without bread.
Time again this played out.
I am a pastor. I am an expert there. I couldn’t be an expert elsewhere. (So I thought)
Do we need to yield to “experts”? Why can’t our experiences be sufficient evidence of our expertise? When we have understanding, application, and experience, these give us the credentials needed to speak on them. We know what we know.
Here are a few examples.
In 1996 I was asked to assist with a struggling 9Ball tour. Branding, marketing, and growth strategies all were amazing. After a year of organizing my partner decided to quit leaving my work to develop into a lucrative enterprise for someone else.
In 1999 I was hired under contract to assist in the development of an online radio station. I was asked to consult and provide product management ultimately landing a VP role only to walk away. They asked for my help, not my expertise.
Even in 2020 the owner of a pool company shared his struggles and asked for help. A week later I was on the path of developing a turn-key swimming pool company. My reward? Forty percent! What did I get? Debt. (But those skills did allow me to build my own pool, on the cheap).
The road to exploration has my footprints all over it. And, I have been paid for a lot of things, but I have walked away from much more.
CONCLUSION
When we gain experience, we are an expert on that experience. Now, we cannot claim expertise outside of that experience until we’ve lived and tested our ideas. Yet, the ideas themselves are our own, and we know them.
Now let’s suppose I share an experience through writing or a lecture. Is doing this wrong or unethical? Could I have bad information going into the experience? Yes, but that doesn’t make the experience wrong. So, when I share and you relate and agree, the truth of that relationship is shared. Then we can walk together. This isn’t about the ethics, morals, good, or bad of anything, we are agreeing on the experience. And we even grow and learn through it.
As my experience resonates and applies to the lives and goals of others, it becomes expertise and it is valuable. The longer I invest in an idea, the greater its value to those who need it. And the greater the value should be for me. (And you btw)
Life is more than a stage, it’s a classroom and we are both the pupil and the teacher. Let’s discover your passions, purpose, and power. I can help you see your gifts and their value.
I appreciate all the investment in this essay from many people. It will be one of those examples of my journey in writing. I’m taking Bleeker’s advice, “It’s more important to publish than to create a work of art.” This essay had three complete overhauls. Resting.
"I believe that the joy of creating new ideas is so thrilling that it makes me feel guilty thinking other people should pay me for it."
This resonates so much. In fact, so much of what you wrote resonated with me. I spent so long giving my creative gifts free of charge. Mainly because I didn't believe I deserved to be paid. The gifts came to me freely, so asking for something in return felt like fraud.
Thanks for sharing this, James :)
"People have a tendency to devalue their giftedness when it comes easy to them and they give it away, especially when they are passionate about helping other people."
This hit home James!