Do I work if I’m not being paid?

Yes.
Hard.
All the time.

What I do professionally is a major part of who I am.

It’s how I define myself.

I am always learning.
I am always reading.
I am always writing.
I am always looking to acquire more knowledge.
I am always looking to learn new skills.
I am always looking for ways to be the best that I can be as a professional.

My salary is not the only reason that I work.

My time spent delivering the result of my work is not the only reason that I work.
I work to create an impact in other people’s lives.

As a professional speaker, I haven’t had my full speaking fee since the end of February.

I have studied harder (much harder) on how to create better events virtually.
I have studied harder (much harder) on how to create more relevant content for my customers.
I have studied harder (much harder) for when in-person events do start back up.

Even though I have been doing virtual events for over a decade, there’s much more competition and content out there.

I don’t want to be like the others.
I want to be better than the others.
I want my customers to have a better result.

Without being paid to do it…

I learned more about cameras.
I learned more about lighting.
I learned more about microphones.
I learned more about recording software.
I learned more about better live-streaming.
I spoke to more experts about their experiences.
I practice – on my own – constantly, just to improve.

Just to be ready.

Just to be better.
Just to be the best.

Even when there’s not a pandemic, I’m thinking.

Working.
Studying.
Doing the work.
Doing the homework.

Do I work when I’m not being paid?

I do.

How else do I improve?
How else do I deliver a better result?
How else do I make my customers have a better experience?
How else do I prepare for an uncertain short-term future?
How else do I prepare for an uncertain long-term future?
How else can I help others be their best, if I am not prepared to be my best?

If your excuse for going back to work is that you need more time to prepare, what have you been doing with all of your time until now?

Waiting for your boss to tell you what to do?
Waiting for the government to tell you what to do?
Waiting for someone else to give you a plan?
Waiting because it’s summer, and you don’t work during the summer?

“I’m not being paid for the days that I am not working.”

“Do you work on your unpaid days?”

This is what other professionals are saying as the world starts to open up.

The answer is – always – a resounding “yes.”

Yes, I work on unpaid days.
Yes, I work on days that I am not in the office.
Yes, I work late into the night to be prepared for tomorrow.
Yes, I wake up early and work for the day ahead.
Yes, I work on weekends if things have changed.
Yes, I am working harder than ever, so that if things suddenly change, I have something more to share.

That’s what a professional does.

Whether they work for themselves.
Whether they work for someone else.
Whether they are in a union.
Whether they are being asked to (or not) by their boss.
Whether they work in the summer (or get the summer off).

I guess it depends on how you define work.

I guess it depends on how you define success.
I guess it depends on how you see yourself.
I guess is depends on the result that you want your work to deliver.
I guess it depends on the impact that you want your work to have on others.

If you need anything, I’ll be right over here.

Working.

Are you interested in what’s next? How to decode the future? I publish between 2-3 times per week and then the Six Pixels of Separation Podcast comes out every Sunday. Feel free to subscribe (and tell your friends 😉