- Hiring myself to become a hiker, which — trust me — I was not before.
He has the smallest bladder in Judeo-Christendom. And likely in the Federated States of Micronesia as well.
I’m talking about my best friend, and I discovered this little factoid about him during a road trip from Texas, where we grew up, to Florida, where no one grows up. (Hence Mickey.)
An obsession with hydration notwithstanding, my friend has many, many brilliant qualities. Like my other close friends, he knows that love is a verb, that listening is an art form, and that chocolate is a food group.
He is also an accomplished entrepreneur who, just over a year ago, took the courageous step of leaving a well-paying but soul-killing job and striking out on his own.
My friend’s success curve is pretty staggering: despite an economy that’s been wheezing on the ventilator, he has been able to build up a steady, loyal, lucrative clientele over the past year. I recently asked him how he did it.
“I decided to hire myself.”
“Right — you went into business for yourself.”
“No, what I mean is, if I don’t work as hard or as smart for me as I would for another company, then I don’t deserve to be out on my own. Put another way: I think about the qualities, tasks and ingenuity that I would want in an employee. And I decide to embody them myself, even if they don’t come naturally to me.”
Now, not everyone is suited for entrepreneurship. But everyone can take something from the idea of “hiring yourself.”
Want to lose weight? Hire yourself. What would a weight-loss consultant or coach tell you? What qualities would you want someone you were hiring to lose weight exhibit? Embody those things.
Want to become a better networker? Hire yourself. When it comes time to attend that cocktail party — you know, the kind that normally makes your hands clammy and your mouth stutter — “hire yourself” to attend. See yourself almost in the third person and act the part of the network-star employee. (You can also read the Hollywould Note series I’m starting up in the Get Wise section here on HollyHickman.com. The first one goes up tomorrow. It’ll be full of the kind of intriguing, brain-growing information that makes for great cocktail party banter.)
The concept can apply to myriad endeavors — expanding your social circle. Getting the closet organized. Finally — finally! — starting and finishing that novel.
Hire yourself. It’ll be the best investment you make all year.
