#EmptyCans #conversations #talk #interactions
“Empty cans make the most noise.”
So says the mother of Monica Pearson, retired WSB-TV news anchor in Atlanta, who now works for the station’s sister publication, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
She quoted her mother several times in a column published April 7, 2024, in the newspaper.
The reference raises the image of empty cans tied to the rear bumper of a car carrying newlyweds, signifying they are just married. They are supposed to be noisy in celebration.
But Pearson was discussing how people with character react in certain situations.
Do those who talk the most have the least to say? Or, do those who talk the most have little worthwhile to say? Or, do those who talk the most know least about what they are talking?
It’s a lot to think about.
If you talk about someone, are you saying things you would not say to their faces?
If you talk to someone, are you telling them the truth to the best of your knowledge? If you don’t know the actual truth, do you keep it to yourself until you are certain it is true?
Sometimes, we hear or read things from sources that are not reliable. We think they are reliable, but we later find out they are not. If what you later find out is false hurts someone, do you apologize?
Then, we sometimes say things we wish were true, but are not.
Most of us don’t set out to lie. But, then again, some people do.
Most of us don’t talk for the sake of hearing our own voices. Then, again, some people do.
Talking about something can take time away of doing the things talked about. Hence, we have the adage “all talk and no action.”
The lesson from the empty cans is if you are going to say something, make it constructive or helpful. Don’t say to others what you would not say to the person about whom you are talking.
There are situations when it’s best to say nothing at all. In those cases, if you are in conversation, find a different subject, something less harmful, to discuss.
In today’s world, one should stay away from certain topics when talking to people that you either don’t know well, or know that such topics may lead to an unwanted argument.
Even among friends and family, not every subject should be on the table.
We all desire openness in conversation. Openness can be valuable to a person who is, say, trying to work through a problem and needs advice.
Openness is always better than deceit, but there are times when conversational parameters are in order.
So, speak with clarity, not obfuscation. Choose your words carefully, but don’t choose a lot of words that say nothing.
Be a helpful, full can to all with whom you interact.
Peter
Tag Archives: Atlanta
‘GIGGERS’ AND THE YOU ECONOMY
#giggers #SelfEmployed #SoloPractitioners #NonEmployerEstablishments
South Florida is loaded with “giggers.”
Atlanta, Dallas, Washington and Boston have also seen a surge.
What are “giggers?” They are one-person shops or, in bureaucratic parlance, “non-employer establishments.”
“Between 1997 and 2015, the number of non-employer establishments – that is, self-employed, freelance workers and independent contractors that aren’t often counted in traditional government measures of job growth – in the Miami area rose 142 percent,” writes Nancy Dahlberg in an article for the Miami Herald. The article was also published Dec. 25, 2017, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
That growth is more than twice the national average of 58.6 percent, Dahlberg writes. The other metro areas showing growth behind Miami include Atlanta (126 percent), Dallas (95 percent), Washington, D.C. (78 percent) and Boston (31 percent), according to the article.
This trend shows that people with imagination and a marketable skill who want to work, but don’t want to be employed or are having trouble finding a traditional W-2 job, are using their skill and imagination to help others, while earning money.
The article also quotes a 2016 McKinsey Global Institute report that found about 27 percent of working-age people in the U.S. and Europe engage at least partially in independent work. It also quotes a 2016 study by the Minneapolis Fed that found the engagement at 37 percent in the U.S. alone, and government estimates show that rate could rise to 40 percent by 2020.
The 2008 recession has had lots of effects on lots of people. Some chose to continue to look for new jobs, with varied success. One should consider himself or herself incredibly fortunate if he or she had lost a good job, but subsequently found a better one. For many, if they have found new work at all, it pays less than they were making before. Therefore, a lifestyle adjustment became necessary.
But suppose you have some imagination, but don’t have a really marketable skill that you can peddle on your own? Or, what if the skills that you have are difficult, if not impossible, to ply in an independent setting?
Fortunately, there are many ways out there that you can earn a potentially significant income – perhaps even more than you’d ever earned before – without having a W-2 job or any specific skill or background. To check out one of the best, message me.
Most of us dream of working until a certain age, then perhaps concentrating on a favorite hobby or hobbies to occupy our time after working. For some, retirement came before they wanted, or were ready, and they are using their hobbies or skills as a solo practitioner.
For some, a lifestyle adjustment was required. Many of us dream of the time when we make a lifestyle adjustment only for the better.
We are moving toward a more “you economy,” in which you call your own shots, you solve your own economic problems and you advance your lifestyle.
What if you could do all those things, and help others do the same?
What if the “you economy” were not forced upon you by necessity, but presented to you as a gift?
What if that bad situation – a job loss – became the best thing that ever happened to you?
To borrow from John Lennon, you may say you’re a dreamer, but you’re not the only one.
Peter