Boundless #27b: The ten types of books you need to escape the corporate world
Happy Tuesday. Hope you are enjoying your week so far. I'm looking to talk with people who are working on side projects or main projects involved with flexing new creative muscles. Reply and let me know what you are working on!
The Ten Types Of Books To Escape Corporate Life
After my conversation with Andrew Taggart, we were discussing the accessibility of Philosophy. I was sharing skepticism that the philosophical writing I've discovered recently would have resonated with me if I had stumbled upon it in my early 20s..
He agreed and felt that one should build a foundation before getting to some of the more challenging and deeper pieces like J. Pieper's "Leisure: The Basis Of Culture." Andrew even mentioned that Leisure didn't resonate with him until the third read.
In the spirit of that conversation, I put together a lengthy list of the "ten types of books" (and essays) that led me to want to escape the corporate world and create a new path. As you'll see, I started with some classic business reading like Christensen, Carnegie, and Cain, but stayed curious and kept reading deeper. Eventually, I ended up with Emerson, Graeber, Gorz, and Watts - people that rocked my worldview.
What is the one "superpower" you have that you almost never tell anyone you actually work with?
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Answer the question and join 40 other creative and curious path-makers. Join here.
Ted Bauer: The Absurdity Of The Corporate World & Real Future Of Work
Web • YouTube • Apple Podcasts • Stitcher
Google Podcasts • Overcast • Spotify • PlayerFM
Ted Bauer is a freelance writer and content strategist who writes prolifically about the future of work. In this episode, he talks about some of his experiences in the corporate world. He shares a story of how he broke the record for the number of story ideas when he first joined ESPN which both captures his frustrations with the corporate world and also illuminates his process of how he generates new ideas for his writing. We talk a bit about technology and his view is that people are using technology not to engage with people but to hide from them. His view of the future of work is simple – it’s about moving back to in-person, human to human engagement and questioning a lot of the things we take for granted in modern organizations.
Quotes
“I think most people are actually pretty good at knowing their weaknesses. They’re often not very good at knowing their talents and strengths. And I include highly successful people. You ask them to account for their success, and they’ll resort to a bunch of cliches, which are probably true, but not really getting at exactly what they are good at. " - Tyler Cowen
Thus in seventeenth-century Chile time was often measured in “credos”: an earthquake was described in 1647 as lasting for the period of two credos; while the cooking—time of an egg could be judged by an Ave Maria said aloud. In Burma, in recent times monks rose at daybreak “when there is light enough to see the veins in the hand” - From "Time, Work Discipline & Industrial Capitalism"
It's Okay To Not Always Succeed
She starts out with one of the most common thoughts I hear today, "Maybe I should get an MBA?" - I've written quite a bit about this on my site, but unlike most people I talk to (who likely have already made the decision when they talk to me), she decides not to continue the climb:
"Some might say I was overqualified for my next job. But it was the perfect role for me. It required a pay cut, but it didn’t require me to give anything beyond what I was comfortable giving: my attention for 40 hours a week, with comfortable lunch breaks. I went home in the evening with a spring in my step and enough mental energy to write and publish a book.
Read the full article here.
Fellow Pathmakers
My friend Khuyen from Vietnam, whom I met at a nice coffee shop right before he got deported (not really, but close) has been a fascinating and brilliant thought partner for me over the last year and I'm impressed with his early career embrace of the "pathless path."
He wants to connect with the early-career Millennials who are feeling "meh in their life and work" for a curiosity conversation. Connect with him here or read his blog.
Teapot Mountain in Taiwan
Below The Dotted Green Line
(Links from the past, calls to action & tools)
Chipotle Bowl?
Since going solo, I have been averse to the idea of "building a business" and "monetizing" my work. I am driven by helping others and try to devote my energy to being generous and creative - wherever that takes me. When I create tools like the Freelance Target Income Calculator, I want to get it into as many hands as possible. I have embraced Patreon as an experiment for people to support me in continuing to do this work. Think about it as Kickstarter for creators, but focused on supporting one's life.
If you want to get on the chipotle bowl tier ($9.99 a month), I will blast your name at the top of the next e-mail, send you a book I love and set up a call with you to talk about your path, wherever it has led you...
ICYMI - #WRITING
Seeing With New Eyes @ Boston Public Gardens
Side-Giggers vs. Full-Timers - who is happier?
ICYMI - #BOUNDLESSPOD
YuTing Chiu on sounds across the globe
Laura Gallaher on leadership, humor & NASA crises
Andrew Taggart on how "total work" is taking over our lives
Tony Triumph on moving to NYC with $300
Rohan Rajiv on 3500+ daily blog posts
Candace Moore on building a global yoga brand
TOOLS
FEARS? Identify the fears holding you back from taking a leap.
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TRANSITION? 10-step workbook to help you make a massive change in your career
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Freelance target income calculator. Calculate how much you need to make to support your lifestyle AND how many hours you need to work to hit your target income.
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