How to be useful to others

I love it

Wise Words...I like them

Idiotic. These tips mean nothing and have no real value other than to fill a page. I am probably submitting to advice number three just by this response. Okay, number one is not so bad either--I mean acting on the courage to be seen, heard, felt, experienced, to make an impact and experience oneself making an impact--that's intimacy, that's vulnerability, that's art. Number two, I do not believe anything is neutral and especially money and the economics of the United States that was built and founded and is being sustained through slavery, the destruction of life--the exploitation and eradication of people, plants, and minerals, the inequities of who gets money, what is valued and what determines wealth, and who monitors the flow of money and the standard by which it is measured. And number four, I do not always agree with bigger is better or more is better or the higher a service or item is priced based on the standard I mentioned for number two, the better it is. My worth as an artist is what I make of it and by I mean the many conditions that make the art possible, the many muses and experiences and networks of support that encourage the songs and the energy and skill of performance to ride through me. I love playing for pay and making as much monetary and tangible outcomes out of what I offer and some the grandest moments in balance with tangible outcomes is the love I have felt for the drar ones I have written and sang for--people who have passed and the songs I wrote for their loves ones who survived them, the people I have played for in nursing homes, rape victims, people in hospice, good friends just for fun. In return I feel love so I guess that is a sort of outcome/payment--but it is not necessarily tangible. And beyond that, being an participant-audoence member at one of my shows, is an investment. It takes energy to be present and it takes skill to let the music ride through you. The concert itself is mutual, shared experiencing with no distinction between gift, giver, and receiver.

Simple is nice. More ELI5-style productivity tips would be massively helpful.

I will go along Rule #3 and completely disagree with Rule #2, which I think is a load crap. It may be true in some instances (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and there are others), but this simple measure misses the mark and is certainly no proof. Getting rich has a lot more to do with blind luck. If you don't think so, it means you haven't grasped some fundamental precepts of the laws of probability. A good place to start is 'Black Swan' by Nassim Taleb.

Some people got rich by being cheaters and are hoarding money instead of spending it, which is actually hurting the economy, i.e. everyone. (RE: The Panama Papers)

Thanks !!!

You are right on again! Keep them coming!

Does anyone have '4. Be expensive' references for those studies?

Hello Derek,
Thank you for the part about how sharing strong opinions is useful to others. I had never seen it that way and just felt strange about having paradigm-shifting ideas, against-the-norm ideas. This is wonderful to know and has changed my paradigm about this. ;) Thanks again.
Janik

I'm with Brian. You're better than this crap. Why try to reduce everything IMPORTANT to "3 ways to be successful" or "9 things you should do to be picked up by somebody else's site"? Taking money from people by being expensive is not consistent with what I thought were your values. What you said was regardless of your value, charge a lot of money so people will give you more of it. REALLY????

These are fantastic guidelines, all of which could easily be considered fundamental ways of being useful to people in significant ways to a significant number of people… Assuming that’s the goal, the breakdown works, but likely only in order. Get famous – now people know you and due to an inward application of an appeal to authority will be more likely to listen to you. Get rich – You’re likely already rich for being famous and this will help you spread any word you may want to spread. If you just have money this is easily the best/easiest way to influence people and or gain connections necessary to influence them (i.e. be useful to them). Sharing strong opinions – Absolutely agree! However if people’s perception of you isn’t already grand in some fashion (which can often be achieved by being rich and or famous), too often we won’t see the desired result; that being adopting a stance or strengthening their own… but instead leads to anger, a deeper ignorance, and a stronger wall to have to break down for the next person, assuming this wall will ever break. Be expensive – Yes of course! …If you have the money to do so. This is a bit too subjective while simultaneously being a bit to explicit for me to be good advice. While a concerts worth can be subjective, more tangible things are less so. Furthermore, people who are introspective will quickly realize that they’re just spending more money on something they should have spent less money on for the same feelings of value and things of the like.

I like these, I find them inspiring via a quick dose, but they are simply too vague, at least at the moment and I eagerly anticipate the details and references to come!

Love the BE EXPENSIVE, I find it true, when I tell someone, my rate is X, if you cannot afford me you can get someone else to do the work for X/2 or X/3.

Works like a charm.-

I heartily agree about the 'get rich' thing. I am always amazed that there are still musicians who think they would be selling out by going more commercial and or making large sums of money.
When I say to them 'but you could help so many people with that money' they usually don't know what to say, because I guess they just have not thought of this. All good points... Thanks

Yo Sivers!!! Your material is great bud, your a true original character I think. Honostly I just heard of ya and I have been "googling" your ass like crazy, pondering your many perspectives from a man who, to me, seems to have genuinly found inner triumph in pretty much all aspects of life. I mean both your "interveiws" on Tim's podcast were, well first of all usefull and seconed the listeners got to know WHO Derek Sivers was and is and really explains how you came to be and your depth is captivating! Your whole demeanor man, truly OG haha. I think you know mentally and spiritualy what it means to be a human being and daps to that playa... and ya know what, I think THIS punk kid can relate. In a world where big gov. and unfavorable corporations rule king and minipulate the minds of decent men with media to act unreasonably to his own kind, I think the masses are just mis informed...My thoughts on this article, it was a big AH HA! moment. Completly grasped your points, it made so much sense and I find it interesting what some of these comments say, how interesting STRONG OPINIONS are, right? They really make you think and want to find out more and WHY. I think most are just quick to judge ie: "Get Famous", "Get Rich", etc, honostly probably not the BEST sub catagorie titles to an article called "How to be Useful to Others" but hey its the truth DAWG! Its human nature right? We're using our system 1 thinking habits RE:"Thinking Fast and Slow", I wont lie, I like playing devils advocate to but I think the reader especialy in this article should keep in mind, "What are YOUR intentions?". There is only two races in this world baby and that is the "decent man" and the "indecent man"... so tell me which one are YOU? THANKS, PEACE, LOVE YALL, HMU DEREK! ;)

Derek, I'm a huge fan of yours! This is the first post I've seen from you that I feel is nonsensical. At best its incomplete and at worst its dangerous.

Nonsensical: I don't have a problem with saying rich, famous, opinionated, expensive people are useful. They are. The problem is that they were useful long before they were rich or famous or opinionated or expensive. Its a nonsensical argument to say getting rich or famous or expensive or opinionated is "how to be useful to others" as the article is titled. These effects of usefulness are not the cause.

Dangerous: Saying the effects of usefulness are the cause is dangerous because those effects are also the byproducts of detrimental folks too. Mass-shooters are famous. Trust fund babies are rich. Terrorists like Bin-laden are rich and famous with strong opinions. Clearly these effects do not cause usefulness.

Incomplete: People who start non-profit organizations that help poor people are not rich, or famous, or charging high hourly rates. Same for folks in public office or public service, or military. The soldier who dies in battle is not useful according to the article. This class of highly useful folks are ignored.

I have a ton of respect for you Derek, though I do not agree that step 1 of "how to be useful to others" is "get famous.". Or step 2 is "get rich.". That's nonsense.

I think these steps are a little closer to my view of the world:
1. Identify someone else's need
2. Address the need for that person
3. Share how you did it
4. Address that same need for many people (if applicable)
5. Share how you did that too

Again, I respect you and I respect your take. Differences in opinion are fine, its fun to discuss things like this!

Derek, did you carve that? It's brilliant! So is the photo, and the way it's lit.
No, sorry I found that photo online long ago, and don't know the source anymore. I wish I did. — Derek

When I read some of the comments on this post, I'm not sure if they don't get it, or if they do get it and they are continuing on the theme so well that it nearly went over my head-- To save time, I will not list any more theories, I'll just say I have them. At the end of the day, it all just makes me feel really fortunate that I am capable of understanding what "interpretation" entails!

Derek, thank you for sharing these great articles! I heard about you through the Art of Manliness podcast. Tim Ferriss speaks very highly of you for a good reason. Keep up the good work!

Derek,

Nice article. I like point 3. I design products with a team. I use the strong opinion technique when we have to make trade offs in the design. It often results in fostering creative new solutions.

Hi Derek and everybody,

In our cold capitalist world, speaking non commercially, I think it's useful to be nice. And so I once posted an essay, on my web site for essays, on Learning to Be Nice.

I just used to be useful; but after reading this note, I try to be less than what I was! May say why!
`cause after reading this I try to look around for being what I really want to be till dead!
Just think about it, then U may prefer to change the title of this to something else!



I`m not Drunk!
Just think about it a bit!
THE A

I see a pyramid..

Just re-listened to your interview with Tim Ferris where you talk about these principles. So good. Straightforward, logical and just a little bit cheeky :)

Hi, Derek--

Thanks so much for this. So much wisdom packed into so few words. Please keep up the good work; I find it invaluable.

Jon

I feel the money-focus is too narrow. Surely it is about having "value" and cherishing something. You can change someone's life through volunteering or an act of charity. Similarly you can value something that is cheap and care for it well so it lasts.
Sharing strong opinions I feel also comes with a pinch of salt where it comes to misinformation that can harm others, like anti-vaccine stances.
A black-and-white view of the world can be damaging in its intensity. First decide what action is right before deciding the strength of an action.

ALL OF THESE ARE STRATEGIES TO KNEEP NIHILISM OUT OF YOUR MIND. IN THE END YOU WILL FALL INTO THE ABYSS AND IT WILL ALL BE FOR NOUGHT.
That's not true. — Derek

When will we get an update about this? Are you gonna add principles? Are you going to publish them in a book?
It became my book How to Live! — Derek