Why I’m essentially the same as George Washington

July 7, 2010 by Johnny
Filed under: Random crap 

NOTE TO NON-AMERICANS AND ESPECIALLY YOU BRITS LIKE THAT WILY TIM BROWNSON: Me writing about US independence probably looks kind of ethnocentric, but I’m not trying to be rah-rah, go team USA! so much as I’m discussing independence in a general way, like in a way that even people in Mozambique are without a doubt totally riveted by. Now excuse me while I paint myself in red, white, and blue and streak in front of the queen.

——–

We always celebrate the Fourth of July in Canada.

It’s not planned deliberately, like I’m making a statement or am anti-American or anything. It just always works out that way because my mom owns a cottage on an island in the middle of Lake Erie, and the Fourth is one of those times we always go, and it’s always really hot, and at night, we can watch around a dozen microscopic fireworks displays across the lake in the USA, assuming the flies aren’t biting after dark on the beach.

We’re hardly alone in our non-US Fourths. There are always a lot of Americans there, all of whom are being quite Fourthlike with their many barbecues, bottle rockets, and Jet-Skis. So it ends up being like a US away from the US anyway.

This year, watching all of the activity and very eager to light sparklers and make s’mores over a fire, my son Austin was asking about why the Fourth of July was so special, and it dawned on me just how idiotic it is that we call it “The Fourth of July.” Like maybe we should celebrate “The Seventeenth of August.” (NOTE TO SELF: Begin stocking up for Seventeenth of August cookout.) So I explained to him the whole concept of it being Independence Day, and why maybe we should keep that name in mind instead.

Explaining independence on a 5-year-old level was actually kind of neat. “Independence” is one of those words we mouth without really thinking about, and spelling it out for him forced me to really pay attention and get inside of it.

What exactly were we doing in “declaring independence from England,” other than committing high treason?

We were saying, “We’re cool on our own over here.”

We were saying, “Piss off, England. We’ve got this one.”

But there’s a flip side. Even once we got past the whole “revolt will be punished by hanging while watching High School Musical” thing, we were also saying we didn’t need outside help or supplies or powdered wigs or whatnot. We were apparently willing to form our own new supply chains and do without all of the stuff England had been sending (or would maybe eventually send) our way.

When you say, “We’re going to do things our own way,” you also have to say, “That support you’ve been giving us? We don’t really need it anymore.”

And that’s the catch-22. If you’ve started your own business but are still working a job you’d rather not have, you’re still dependent. If you’ve got some momentum but are fresh out of high school or college and Mom or Dad is still paying your car insurance bill, you’re dependent. This is a quid pro quo world, and if you’re accepting something, you almost always owe something in return — be it time, attention, money, or something else. One way or another, there’s a price to be paid.

At this point in thinking and explaining why we celebrate the Fourth of July, I’ve got existential realizations falling out of my ass, and it kind of dawns on me what a big part of my life has been about.

What a lot of us (but by no means all of us) are after really isn’t a certain amount of income, or to spend our time doing X, or to have a certain amount of job satisfaction or peace of mind.

What it’s really all about for a lot of us is independence. And to be even more PBS afterschool special about it, what we’re really after is freedom.

You realize that, and it sets your priorities straight and maybe you get all patriotic, but this time you’re patriotic about the nation of your own damn self.

No time expectation without adequate compensation.

Give me the choice to play Rock Band instead of working or give me death.

I regret that I have but one life to give, so I’m not about to give it to a company.

Personally, once I started waving the flag for the United States of Johnny, my priorities got clearer… but the way got a lot scarier.

If you’re always marching toward greater independence, it means you know to choose the lesser paying job along the way if it gives you more time to build your own side thing. You know that no matter how big a paycheck may look, it’s not worth it if it comes at the price of all of your hours. You’re really clear that although a job will finally offer you decent and affordable health insurance, you can’t accept it because it’ll squash your independent endeavors.

Much like early America saying, “We’ve got it, England. It’s cool,” you can declare your independence only if you’re willing to take the flip side, which says that you’re going to have to start making your own damn fish and chips and shepherd’s pies.

It’s only been six months since I severed ties with the last of my big clients from “the old days.” When I worked for those folks, I was mostly okay with what I did work-wise and I wasn’t on a salary or anything, but I knew that they represented this huge chunk of my income (it used to be ALL of my income). So, as long as I kept working for them, my fate was tied to theirs. If they tripped, I was fucked.

So when all of them started to trip at once, I got to make that choice. It was forced on me. “Give me liberty? Um, okay… I don’t really see that I have much of a choice, so, sure.”

Now I see it. Now I know what I’m always going for, and what I’ve been going for from the beginning. More freedom. More time. More of my fate heaped upon my own shoulders instead of someone else’s. It really helps to make decisions more straightforward, even if those decisions aren’t always easy to commit to.

I guess the message here is that independence can suck, but that capacity for suck is part of why it’s so awesome.

Happy Seventeenth of August, everyone.

 

 

 

 

Comments

23 Comments on Why I’m essentially the same as George Washington

  1. Andy Fogarty on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 8:48 am

    2. I could hear the marching drums and flutes playing in my head the whole time I was reading this. It’s amazing how much kids pick up. My daughter asked us the same question in the car.

    Yea, independence sucks sometimes, but anything that requires a lot of work and perseverance does. It’s scary as hell to realize that there’s no one for you to rely on (like a boss). On the other hand, it’s scary as hell to think that you’re working your ass off to build someone else’s future. That was the deciding factor for me.

    I’ve always had side things going on, but it wasn’t until very recently when I decided to declare ALL of my time to focus on me and my family’s future.

    Is it scary as all hell? Yep (but that’s part of the fun)

    Am I having too much fun mooning the queen? Hell yea

    See you on the seventeenth :-)

  2. Adam Porter on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 9:33 am

    3. USA: The Ultimate “Question The Rules” Case Study.

    Thanks for the insight!

  3. Sandi on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 10:40 am

    4. It’s been almost 9 years since I said goodbye to the J.O.B. and hello to the republic of ME and freedom. There were so many days early on when I almost gave in; when my lizard brain desperate for survival kept yackin’ in my ear. But even when I wasn’t sure how I’d pay the rent, or where the next client was coming from I knew I couldn’t go back – the cost was just too $%^& great.

    That I stuck it out and am still here, working how I want when I want is the thing I’m most proud of. So, yeah…count me in for the seventeenth of August!

  4. Mars Dorian on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 10:43 am

    5. Lol, nice misc. stuff.

    It’s my major goal to be a 100% independent, and it’s insane and hard work.
    I know I will get there eventually, but it will take time.

    Every major shift in your life sucks in one way or another, but that’s the sacrifice you have to make.

  5. Darcy on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 11:06 am

    6. For me, the soundtrack to this post was the No More Kings song performed by Pavement from the Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks album. Happy 17th of August! Hooray for freedom!!

  6. Picture of the Day – July 07, 2010 | MorallyRight.org on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 12:37 pm

    7. [...] Why I'm essentially the same as George Washington | Johnny B. Truant [...]

  7. Even More Landing Pages, Thoughts on Class, and Long Ignored Niches on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 1:04 pm

    8. [...] and for a great bit of thought on independence, check out the inimitable Johnny B. Truant’s latest post! Hell, check out all of [...]

  8. Jess on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 1:44 pm

    9. God bless the United States of Johnny.

    I personally pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of Jess, and to the republic for which I stand, one hustler under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for as long as I don’t sabotage myself.

    That last part is the real kicker…

    Awesome post. Rock on.

  9. Jess on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 1:45 pm

    10. PS: Andy’s comment has this song stuck in my head now…

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NisCkxU544c

    Thanks, Andy.

  10. Brian on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 5:16 pm

    11. “Now I know what I’m always going for, and what I’ve been going for from the beginning. More freedom. More time. More of my fate heaped upon my own shoulders instead of someone else’s. It really helps to make decisions more straightforward, even if those decisions aren’t always easy to commit to.”

    This resonated with me like the President’s speech in “Independence Day”.

    QTR and the Jam sessions have inspired me to declare my independence.

    Thanks Johnny.

  11. Kari on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 7:18 pm

    12. This is a great article, Johnny. I think you’ve pretty much summed up how I feel. How a lot of us feel. And you know what? For those people who choose to stay with a corporation–that’s great too. Life (not the cereal) is all about choices we make–sink or swim, baby! :)

    If your Question the Rules stuff is along these lines, I need to take another look at what I’m currently working with and make a decision.

  12. Heidi on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 7:44 pm

    13. Freedom is definitely my key word these days. I want to be fully self-employed, partially because I’d rather work my ass off to make myself rich than someone else. But mostly because I want to be free to make my own schedule, free to nap in the afternoon if that’s what my body needs, free to take a week to go to a workshop, or to just take time off.

    I also want to be free to say “no” to working with douchebags I can’t stand, and to focus my energy on helping people who have the same silly world-changing ideals I do.

    Hmm… might be time to design a flag for my own little Republic of Me…

  13. Mary E. Ulrich on Wed, 7th Jul 2010 7:50 pm

    14. Hi George, er, Johnny,

    Forget independence–it’s all about INTERDEPENDENCE! Of course you save the “dependence” for all those additions we love.

    Congrats Johnny for the “shortest conference ever” You made us proud.
    http://influencerproject.com/replay/ (I think you were around minute 20)

    Wear sun screen and enjoy!

  14. Alison Golden on Thu, 8th Jul 2010 12:07 am

    15. You know, you have to really be vigilant about this independence thing. It’s easy to think you’ve got it but then get right sucked back into a J.O.B. not realizing it until it’s too late. Never give up working it, defining it, creating it and keeping it.

    You see, we Brits didn’t give up. We just lost the battle. George Washington had nothing on Simon Cowell.

  15. Tammy on Fri, 9th Jul 2010 7:10 am

    16. I think ‘my fate was tied to theirs’ is a very good way to sum it up. As well as the limits tying your fate to someone else is going to impose on you, there’s always the niggly knowledge that if they do start to sink, you’ll be dropped like the extra weight you’ll have suddenly morphed into.

    I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve not encountered anything except good luck wishes and cheerful ‘good-for-you’ optimism when cutting the ties. I realise this is probably not the case for everyone. It’s hard to be told you’re not needed or wanted anymore, and big companies and employers will take it better than individuals or smaller firms. Maybe, when severing our ties we shouldn’t use the metaphor of our employers / biggest-tied to clients being England. “Piss Off. I don’t need you anymore” might come as a bit of a surprise to them.

  16. Joshua Black | The Underdog Millionaire on Fri, 9th Jul 2010 1:56 pm

    17. Johnny,

    This post hit a special spot with me. I really appreciated how you equate small business ownership with declaring emancipation from the mother ship.

    Once you own a small business it’s all you. Everything that exists in that business is your fault, good or bad, and once the cord is cut the glory is all yours to be had, or the defeat is all yours to suffer.

    Happy belated Fourth!

    -Joshua Black
    The Underdog Millionaire

  17. Johnny on Fri, 9th Jul 2010 6:49 pm

    18. @KARI – Are you in Question the Rules? Shoot me an email if you want the deets. johnny at johnnybtruant dot com. Happy to help with whatever.

    I’m amazed at how many people ’round this place have stories and backgrounds similar to mine. Who knew so many people just jumped (or are about to jump) and manage to do stuff totally on their own. Doesn’t anyone OBEY THE RULES and WORK FOR DA MAN anymore? :)

  18. Jason Fonceca on Sat, 10th Jul 2010 1:10 am

    19. Maaaaan, I barely even celebrated Canada Day this year (blush, I did make a post running down some of my fave places and hot spots in Toronto, if that counts), but I do celebrate Jason Day, every day. :) Rock on Johnny, I could not agree more. Absolutely brilliant.

  19. Gwyn on Sat, 10th Jul 2010 12:19 pm

    20. August 17th! I love it. I will light a sparkler to you and all the rule breakers out there!

  20. Rob on Tue, 13th Jul 2010 6:04 pm

    21. That is great stuff. I love the comparison of declaring independence from England and your own independence. And you are right – that is exactly what I am after; independence from giving my time to someone else.

  21. Encounters with the Dragon – Episode VI – It’s all about the numbers | Fight Mediocrity on Sun, 15th Aug 2010 3:58 pm

    22. [...] right now, the thing I’m most excited about, are the plans for celebrating August 17th.  A cartoonival of wisdom with some great insights and much [...]

  22. The Pinky and the Brain guide to World Domination | Fight Mediocrity on Tue, 17th Aug 2010 12:02 am

    23. [...] In an attempt to suck up to Johnny start a new internet meme, we decided to use the cartoonival to celebrate the 17th of August.  (Because, if you’re going to be a brown-noser, there’s really no point to doing a [...]

  23. Bugs Bunny's guide to life | Biznicillin on Tue, 17th Aug 2010 12:06 am

    24. [...] today as an homage to Johnny B. Truant’s ever-so-amusing suggestion that we should celebrate the seventeenth of August. Because smart people know to suck up to Johnny. I see possibilities for an annual celebration; [...]

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