Working for Free. Is it worth it?
Having no expectations is the best way to do a job for free. You may benefit in the long term, but don't count on it.
If even half of what Eckhart Tolle says about the self is true, then how can we do the right thing? We’re barely even here (more about that next time, I think).
We were born with a sense of right and wrong. The Bible, The Quran and the Teachings of Bhudda were all written by humans who were trying to illustrate our innate sense of right and wrong. Their teachings were mainly for the poor, uneducated, and those scrabbling in the dirt for food. Middle Class business people have to conjure up more relevant and useful parables. I think that’s why I had this particular dream . . .
It was a strange dream. I supppose I would call it my first small business dream. I’d put in a tender for a new mini web-site sidebar for New Scientist magazine. A News or Blog website. I didn’t get the gig, but I went down to the New Scientist offices anyway, to help them out on a Busy Bee. They’d asked for volunteers and I thought this might be a way to get into the industry (I have no aspirations to work for NS by the way). My job was to wait on people who were painting and working late on articles in the NS office. Clean tables, wash dishes – that sort of thing. A humble job. I was removing a particularly stubborn stain when the NS Personnel Officer came up to me and said, “Hi Edwin. I remember your tender. You put a lot of effort into it. I’m so sorry you didn’t get the job.” I told her it was fine. I put tenders in all the time etc. She was overly apologetic and even tried her hand at removing the stain. But then she stopped and said, “You might as well go home, now. Working here for free isn’t going to get you a position with us.” I was very angry and told her that I’d chosen to help out with the Busy Bee out of the goodness of my own heart. It had nothing to do with my career aspirations. I lied to save face. She had seen my cunning plan.
The dream went weird and it turned out that the woman was actually a bit mad. But I woke up feeling very anxious and agitated. I had gone in there with the wrong volition. I was going to help out, but I expected something in return. It didn’t happen and the Personnel lady didn’t want me to waste any more time.
I’ve done this in real life. Done a job for free, thinking I’d get something in return. It’s possible that I always do it. subconsciously. I think the dream was saying “Don’t!” If you do something just to help out, then do it for that reason alone – not for your own gain. It almost never works out the way you want. Sometimes it’s not altruism, but plain opportunism driving us. And oftentimes, the differences are obscured by our own egos . . . What a clever dream!
