You’re not going out of your mind. You’re slowly and systematically being driven out of your mind. — Joseph Cotton to Ingrid Bergman in the 1944 film Gaslight . Remember when the word “gaslighting” elicited knowing nods from black and white film buffs… and blank stares from pretty much everyone else? Then along came 2016, and gaslighting entered the lexicon in a big way. Merriam-Webster defines it as the “psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one’s emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.” Of course, you knew that already! “Gaslighting” is unavoidable these days, five years after it was named 2016’s “most useful” and “likely to succeed” word by the American Dialect Society ....
Not many ancient statues are as well-known as Laocoön and His Sons . Masterfully sculpted some time between the first century BC and the first century AD, it depicts the eponymous Trojan priest in an agonizing struggle with the serpents that will kill one or both of his sons. The details of the tale vary depending on the teller: Virgil describes Laocoön as a priest of Poseidon who dared to attempt exposing the famous Trojan Horse ruse, and Sophocles describes him as a priest of Apollo who violated his vow of celibacy. Whichever version of the story he heard, the sculptor clearly drew from it powerful enough inspiration to impress Pliny the Elder, in whose Natural History the piece figures. Even among the more artistically sophisticated beholders of the Renaissance, Laocoön and His Sons proved a captivating piece of work. Unearthed from a Roman vineyard in 1506, it looked to have weathered the intervening millennium and half with much less wear and tear than most large artifacts f...
If you are having difficulty knowing what to charge, then check out your competition and find out what theyíre doing. Find out if they post prices or fees on their website or if they have "packages" deals. Do they have payment options? While you are researching, keep in mind just because your competition is charging one way it is not necessarily how you should be charging. One of my clients is a business and life coach. Most coaches charge for a set number of scheduled phone meetings, which seems to be a standard for "the coaching industry," but that doesnít mean itís the best way. I encourage my clients to charge fees that match who their clients are and what they are trying to accomplish. Itís very refreshing to do what works for you and not necessarily follow the "industry standard." If you donít feel comfortable with the way your industry charges, by all means, change it. Just because the industryís doing it doesnít mean that itís right. ...
Comments
Post a Comment