The Gift Economy: A Path to a Better Working World

“How much does it cost?”

This question makes less and less sense for the world we are moving towards — a work in which we will depend on people who can create, people who can create art and people who can dream big to solve impossible problems.

I made the leap to self employment because of a burning desire to be more creative and spend more time doing the work that matters to me. I have been incredibly lucky to write things that change people’s minds, create tools that helped people make career changes and spend a large amount of time having discussions and working with people trying to do the work that matters to them as well.

However, when my conversations or projects evolved to the point where you are supposed to set a price or engage in a transaction, it felt awkward. I felt it cheapened the experience. I wanted to help people because it’s what I love doing, not because I was in it for the paycheck.

Yet, the advice says we need to build a business. We can’t let people take advantage of us. We need to price ourselves high to demonstrate our value.

It never sat right with me.

So when I learned about the potential of the “gift economy” it helped explain why I felt worse when money entered the picture and it also helped free my my…