u/strategicsamarai

My contractor is paid by the day, from 8am to 3pm. But I've noticed that he comes 10, 15, sometimes even 20 minutes late. I've asked him about it, even offering to do 8:30am to 3:30pm, but he brushes me off. It's not only annoying, but it's starting to add up. 10 minutes a day for 6 days a week is a whole hour I paid for that he wasn't there.

But I've been honorable and shown up and paid him every time at 3pm on the dot. Though now I'm starting to wonder if I'm shooting myself in the foot and I should arrive minutes later reflecting the minutes later he started. I don't know what to do, because I don't want things to escalate, and I figure that in his mind he'll think I'm stealing time from him, when really I just want to be fair and even things out.

To be clear: I plan on paying him at 3pm on the dot because I have integrity and respect him and his work. But I'm still wondering if there is any precedent to be set if I did to him what he is doing to me and making sure the full 7 hours are being met every day.

LAW 18 DO NOT BUILD FORTRESSES TO PROTECT YOURSELF—ISOLATION IS DANGEROUS JUDGMENT The world is dangerous and enemies are everywhere—everyone has to protect themselves. A fortress seems the safest. But isolation exposes you to more dangers than it Protects you from—it cuts you off from valuable information, it makes you conspicuous and an easy target. Better to circulate among people, find allies, mingle. You are shielded from your enemies by the crowd.

Isolation leads to disproportionate thinking. When you isolate yourself, you have no one to check your behavior, especially if you start acting out of control.

Isolation leads to depression. human beings are social creatures, and isolation leads to a clear trend in depression.

Isolation leads to a lack of opportunities. A network is a powerful force to get and retain a job or internship or other opportunity. But the less people you know, the less likely you are able to network and find this kind of opportunity.

Isolation leads to a lack of allies. making friends, relationships, and allies is almost a full-time job. If you isolate yourself, you leave yourself vulnerable to people who are actually putting in the work.

Isolation is physically and mentally unhealthy. isolation has been proven to have negative side effects to your mental and physical health. this includes obesity, oversleeping, and other physical ailments.

Socializing leads to exposing yourself to new ideas, new concepts, and new sources of power. when you talk with other people and network, you gain a sense of perspective and learn from others as well.

Socializing leads to making friends, relationships, and allies. The more you reach out to people, the more likely you are to gain a network of allies, friends, and other people who are willing and able to help you out in your journey for power.

Socializing lets you bounce ideas off others. people have other experiences that you can learn from. If you socialize with others, you are able to gain their experience without having to go through it yourself.

Socializing lets you power boost your thinking. when you work together, whether it’s on a project, job, or even exercising together, you are boosting your ability to get more done.

Socializing lets you push yourself past your psychological limits. The whole personal training industry is based on teaching and pushing others past what they think their limits are physically. When you engage with others, you allow yourself more ability to get stuff done and you don’t let your personal psychological barriers bring you down.

LAW 4 ALWAYS SAY LESS THAN NECESSARY JUDGMENT When you are trying to impress people with words, the more you say, the more common you appear, and the less in control. Even if you are saying something banal, it will seem original if you make it vague, open-ended, and sphinxlike. Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more likely you are to say something foolish.

This law power is one that I think is often misunderstood. It’s not about staying silent and it’s not about saying very little. You should be able to be a good conversationalist who tells stories and weaves eloquent prose in order to get what you want. what my interpretation of this law is is that it’s about creating more questions than answers with your statements and making the other person think and ponder about what you have to say instead of just stating the obvious and then moving on.

The pregnant pause is a great tool to let the other person talk more than you, and maybe even stumble over what they say, and reveal more than they should have. By pausing your words, you let yourself think, slow down, and create an air of mystery to what you have to say.

For example, if you stay silent, you don’t say stuff then nobody will know what you’re about or care about you. Always saying less than necessary is more about telling a story but leaving it open ended so that people come back to you and wonder what is going on with what you had to say. So you’re still saying stuff, you’re just saying less than necessary.

When I’m negotiating, I let the other person reveal their cards first. In this way, I say less than necessary. I don’t tell them my bottom dollar or top dollar. I have them go first. In this way, they reveal their strategy and I don’t reveal mine.

When I’m talking to a girl, I’m interested in, I answer with vague and open-ended responses, in order for her to be able to pick up the conversation in a way that she is most interested in.

The only person you should never say anything less than necessary is your therapist. Everyone else deserves the same treatment. Say less than necessary, make them mull over what you have to say, and create a force that propels you forward with just your words.