For millenia, people earned their money on a transaction. The shieldmaker sold shields. The candlemaker sold candles. People were paid by what they sold. It was only later that the concept of wages and salary were developed. It came about that people were less paid by their production and more paid for their time. Perhaps, in a time when the workforce wasn’t nearly as productive as it is today, it was a good deal to be paid for one’s time. But today, it is my belief that the worst way one can be paid is by the hour. One shouldn’t be paid by the time one invests. It would be better to be paid in proportion to the amount of value delivered to the lives of others. We should, and in many ways we are, moving back toward the truly egalitarian notion of pay for production. As I explore where I will be going, I think this is going to be a primary component as I create my new life.
I have already been operating on this philosophy for some time. Doing freelance consulting work and working as an adjunct professor, I work until I am done, earning a fixed price per report and class. Therefore, all productivity gains I achieve are mine to keep. Fully 20 to 30% of my income has been attributable to these sources for the past year. With now 100% of my professional energies engaged in growing this, I have high hopes that I can build an income that is not based on my time but on the number of people I serve and the value I provide.
Justice.
