Nobody With Something to Say

By Phil Pease

Every day, ideas, thoughts, and oberservations pop into our heads, but we rarely share them with others. When we do, we often hear something like, “What does it matter?” or “I’m sure the experts would disagree” or “You didn’t go to school for that so how would you know?” In Nobody with Something to Say, Phil Pease shares a collection of essays bound together by a common theme: The world would be a better place if we cultivated thoughts and ideas instead of surrendering the terrain to “experts”—as if they are the only ones who have worthwhile thoughts. His essays liberate random thoughts that challenge the notion that meaningful contributions require gargantuan credentials, external validation, and money. Each essay ends with a small but potent open-ended question: “What do you think?” So the next time a random thought or idea jumps into your head, don’t let it shrivel away. Let it develop, and while it does, tell the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Sep 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781483473130

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Pease

Copyright © 2017 Phil Pease.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-7315-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-7314-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-7313-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017911351

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 8/25/2017

Acknowledgments

This book is the culmination of many years spent talking about topics, jotting down scribbles, sitting at the computer forming themes into something worth reading, rewriting those things, talking more, and … well, you get the picture.

I would like to thank my dearest wife for being supportive while going through the above with me until you were likely ready to dive into the nearest bottle of booze. Your input infused the final content of this book with a greater semblance of coherence. You were the shining beacon of pragmatism that kept this endeavor from certain doom on the rocky crags of unintelligibility.

Special thanks also go to my parents; you both withstood my rather lengthy Jerk-O-Morphosis and imparted the work ethic it took to keep this book from becoming a dust-covered aspiration perched permanently on the one of these days shelf. You tolerantly endured an unending litany of what-if questions during the now forty-plus years of my childhood.

I am so appreciative of the influence two remarkable elementary school teachers had on my life. Mr. and Mrs. Mossburg, your innovative teaching style instilled a sense of confidence in me through encouraging thought and imagination. Mr. Mossberg, to this day I vividly recall the leaps of imagination inspired by your emotive storytelling. Your renditions kept the entire class so enthralled that whispers had us all leaning in with rapt anticipation and sudden bangs had us jumping in our seats.

Additional inspiration came from two high school teachers who challenged me to think beyond rote memorization. Your guidance helped me understand that true knowledge isn’t the material but what I think about the material.

Here’s to you, Mr. Sawyer, for chastising my mere observance of symbolism in lieu of grasping its deeper meaning. Wadding up my speech and tossing it at me while I was in front of the class might have been a tad melodramatic, but, hey, it got the point across.

Mr. Peters, your bravery in discussing topics such as how thinking is existence was hugely commendable. Your uncanny, often unconventional ability to capture the interest of eleventh graders (or at least a few of us) was borderline magical. My appreciation has actually increased after raising multiple children and being largely unable to keep their attention long enough to get the garbage taken out.

My surrogate grandparents, Edna and Orie, deserve a shout-out. Your frequent thought-provoking discussions around the dinner table went a long way in cultivating my thinking skills. I will never forget the guidance you imparted when a seven-year-old me, in a fit of bravado, proclaimed boldly that I’d be smarter than Einstein. After almost imperceptibly choking on your food, you both lovingly but firmly said that it was not about being smarter but about being respectful and humble enough to learn from others.

Finally I want to thank the many self-publishing resources that provided excellent guidance and the numerous individuals who provided feedback on earlier manuscripts. The journey of this book would have ended with an unpublished, unrefined set of scattered notes were it not for your invaluable assistance.

Preface

I embarked on the epic journey of writing this book because it seemed a swift path to successful entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, much like Sasquatch, Nessie, and the Chupacabra, the myths about the freedom and financial prospects of entrepreneurial endeavors far outnumber the realities. Finishing this book required a tremendous amount of focus, dedication, expense, and self-motivation.

This book took a number of years to write, and my days are still spent as a corporate project manager rather than an author attending book signings and discussing the next big publishing deal over a cup of Earl Grey with a power agent.

Around year four, a choice became clear: write what’s on my mind or write what will sell. I wrote what was on my mind, thus embracing a lifelong tradition of walking the path that most diminishes profit potential.

This book is an honest, no-frills embodiment of what’s on my mind. (Wait. Why is it being moved to the horror section?) Those brave souls willing to take a risk, please read on.

As a card-carrying member of generation X, my views contain a healthy amount of disdain toward the establishment. This controlled skepticism has aided in the discovery of solutions where approved convention struggled. A word of warning: this approach will not endear you to those who tenaciously cling to the way it’s always been done.

One last cautionary item: I will admit up front that I do not possess multiple graduate degrees or clinical board certifications, no CEO designation follows my name, and nobody calls me doctor. As such, please try not to immediately classify the content of this book as meritless, troglodytic, or pointless. (At least wait until you finish it.)

My readers can thank the frequent, firmly worded editorial comments essentially saying, We have no clue why you wrote this book or what we are supposed to get out of it for this preface.

I wrote the book to make money.

What? All right, this whole endeavor was driven more by