Job Security, the Internet, and Making it Happen (You Need Guts)

Seven days and seven chapters into "You Don't Need a Job, You Need Guts". So far, this is what I've gathered...

Companies don't need you; they need what you produce

You're replaceable. And the less skills you need to do your job, the more replaceable you are to your company. They don't need you, necessarily. The need the outcome of your work -- the product you make.

There is no such thing as job security

I sort of knew this, but Ash Ambirge (the author of the course), made this quite clear. Ambirge claims that "having a job is riskier than Russian Roulette" because at any moment you could have to wave good-bye to your pension, find yourself laid off, or perhaps not even able to find a job after earning your college degree.

We make feeble attempts to "get ahead", and that is about the extent of our career and financial success in life.

We leave everything up to the employer -- how much we make, what we do, and even whether or not we have a source of income in the first place.

Making people feel seen

What if we took charge of our livelihoods and created our own source of income? Instead of relying on the employer, why not create our own job?

Ambirge suggests that what you already know about and can offer the world is exactly what someone else is searching for. If you can make people feel seen, you can sell to them. If you can make them feel like you were put on this planet just for them, you won't be able to keep them away.

Connect around the globe

Most people still use the internet to look at cat photos and catch up with old high school pals.

But it could be used for so much more.

Ambirge claims that you can leverage the internet in just the right way to connect with people all over the world who want to buy exactly what you are selling.

She writes “… no matter what, someone is searching for what you’ve got. Someone wants to know the information that’s in your head. Someone wants your expertise... Someone is hoping with all their might that you exist.
That’s important.
It means that your greatest competitive advantage is no longer your greatest competitive advantage in the traditional sense – price, speed, quality, etc. – but rather, your greatest competitive advantage is YOU.
Exactly as you are. And who you are. And whatever it is that you’re good at. And in whatever form you’re bringing it to the table.”
No matter what you’re selling, YOU are the main product.”

The only question that remains is: do you have the guts? 

Changes (You Need Guts)

After successfully blogging several times a month through my Praxis experience, all good things came to a crashing end after graduating. The finale to my 10 months of Praxis was phenomenal. Spending time in San Francisco with so many brilliant minds and then going on to travel the rest of the West Coast on my own was a great way to finish out my time as a Praxis participant. However, since getting back home, I have gone through several changes. First, I got a new job. Although I loved being a doula and learned so much from being with my business partner for nearly a year, it was time for me to find some consistent, daytime work. I'm currently employed at a call center taking in-bound sales calls. Second, I got married and moved into an apartment with my husband. We've been getting settled in and learning our new normal. 

These changes are exciting but my writing has taken a back seat as a result. I would like that to change. 

In the next 30 days, I will be working through an e-course called "You Don't Need a Job, You Need Guts". I'm using this e-course to give me the kick in the butt that I need. I'm enjoying my job, but it's a job. I know in the end that I'm not only 100% replaceable to my company, I'm also just helping other people get rich without any personal gain outside my paycheck. I want to do and be so much more. 

I'll be posting on my blog at least once a week about what I'm learning in the e-course and will include "You Need Guts" in the titles of these posts in case you want to keep up. Hopefully you'll learn something along this journey with me.