We Live in a Land of Takers

Stop digging through someone’s wallet and give without expectation.

Credit: Alamy

We live in a land of takers. People maneuvering into the crawl space that is your inbox and squatting there. People rummaging through your contact list to see if there’s anyone “good to know.” People hocking something because nothing is ever, truly free. If we’re not being sold the product, we are the product. Then there are those always shouting their wants, but rarely offering anything in return.

I’ve written at length about professional etiquette, but there’s always someone trying to fast-track, elbow their way in, and plow to the front of the line. People who don’t want to do the work, cultivate relationships, and give. Maybe it’s the proliferation of articles penned by people who fail to take “no” for an answer or those who believe a casual acquaintance equates to a lifetime of professional servitude, but it amazes me how much people want all the things but are impatient in their pursuit of them.

I am master of the long game — the consummate farmer instead of a hunter. Ages ago, some misguided person stomped their petulant feet in my comments and admonished me for waiting a year until a venture capitalist gave me my first client. They didn’t understand the concept of that which is rewarding and sustainable takes time. And why…