What a lovely article. There's a strong correlation between the energy you put out into the world and what you get back.
I often think that as I end up confirming a grumpy/aggressive person's expectation I'll be a bad customer, or confirming a kind/present persons's expectation I'll be a good one
I pedicabbed for five years, and the job is very much what you put into it.
You can be passive and low-effort, or you can be active and hustle rides by chatting up strangers. My roommate could squeeze blood from a stone when it came to persuading strangers to hop in her cab. She had a real talent for connecting with people and stretching out the ride in a way that was mutually beneficial for her (well paying) and the passengers (fulfilling concierge experience). In some ways she was like an escort you'd hire for good conversation at the bar. Minus the sexual expectations.
We all experienced bad actors (malevolent, drunk, immature, entitled) while working, but you can defuse the situation with finesse and charm, or you can bluntly and persistently deny them until they get worn down and steam off down the street to be someone else's problem.
I began as a largely introverted person and came to love the 5-15 minute window that I would have to get to know my clients while we traveled. It's a real captive audience and most people are down for the conversation and the connection. You learn how to listen and you learn to draw people out of their shells and be their best selves.
Some people were so great that on a few occasions I parked up my cab at our destination and spent the rest of the evening hanging out with them.
The job really rewards open-mindedness and a "yes, and" approach to dealing with people. Certain interactions with clients had a way of becoming very fun and adventurous if you kept an open mind and went along with your fares.
I need to learn a similar lesson. My team lead isn't used to being questioned, and when I tried to correct him in a meeting it resulted in a big argument. I realized that I did so partly because I wanted to demonstrate my own knowledge. We were both being egotistical. Certainly he could have handled it better, but I could have avoided the problem entirely by finding a more tactful framing rather than correcting him publicly.
I guess the generalized version is "it's easier to get what you want through compromise and avoiding conflict." Or just, "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar."
Slightly related to the article. I have a personal cargo bike. The most fun that I have with it is giving friends a ride home from a party. People instantly start giggling and laughing. It's goofy, you get stares and people curious
Warning: An ad on this page (that I somehow accidentally tapped) redirected me to an “Apple Support” scam that was so nasty in its attempts to fire a tel: url to start a call, that tapping “Back” wasn’t possible. Beware of malware here.
I haven't yet read the essay, but I will jump at the opportunity to share my experiences working as a pedicab driver in Austin, TX for 5 years:
Pedicabbing is one of the most satisfying, fun, and rewarding jobs that I've ever had for a handful of reasons:
1. I had full autonomy to operate how I see fit. I work when I want, I retire when I want, I roam where I please, and I select (or deny) customers I want to serve. I can hustle as hard as I want to drum up work and persuade other to take a ride or I can sit passively and wait for people to approach me.
2. It taught me a lot about sales, negotiation, value-based fees, soft skills, being an entertainer, and showing people a good time.
3. I was pedaling for dollars and hauling up to three full-grown adults at a time. Sometimes uphill. The physical exertion gets easier, but remains challenging. Quite often I am doing the equivalent of high intensity interval training for 8 hours a day. By the end of a shift I am operating on a runner's high.
I got home every night at 3a, took a shower, and then passed out in bed like a stone. Then I rose and ate 1500 calories for breakfast. Not to mention my constant food intake while working.
Gallons of water would flow through me. Quite often the heat was so much that I'd go hours without the need for a bathroom break because it was all coming out through my skin.
4. I met a LOT of fascinating people and got to spend 5-15 minutes at a time getting to know them. Having good conversations. If we hit it off well enough I have it within my power to park up my cab and spend time with them. I've ended up spending entire nights hanging out with people who I really enjoyed. Off the clock.
5. If all else fails and work is slow that evening I still have a custom stereo strapped to my cab and (for a music lover like me) that is all I need to keep going. People had to listen to some WEIRD shit on my cab, and often I would meet people who were just as passionate as I am and want to share their favorites.
6. The job is improvisatory, surprising, and rewards those with an open mind and an eye for opportunity. Those with a "yes, and" mindset. If you're down for it, you can follow your nose to some wonderful surprises.
7. You get to know the city intimately. You take pride in navigating well and in a creative manner. Being a pedicab affords you a lot of flexibility in how you travel, that cars cannot access.
8. Your fellow pedicabbers. A very colorful bunch. People from all walks of life do the job. Artists, crusty punks, 65 year-olds, family-men (and women), students, athletes, entertainers, the fabulously extroverted. My friend was a marine biologist for the city whose day job had him out in the river in a wetsuit taking water samples and working in a lab by day, and he was pedaling for dollars on the weekend. One of us was a clerk at the Capitol and was studying law. A common thread amongst us were people who had alternate lifestyles and this was a good hustle that suited our needs.
Many of us were musicians. I originally got into the job because I did a lot of touring with my band throughout the year. I needed a job where I could hit the road for two months and then jump back in as soon as we got back into town.
I could go on, but the job was so much fun. It's not for everyone and it takes a certain type, but for my five years on the cab I wouldn't trade them for anything.
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[ 0.31 ms ] story [ 55.9 ms ] threadI often think that as I end up confirming a grumpy/aggressive person's expectation I'll be a bad customer, or confirming a kind/present persons's expectation I'll be a good one
You can be passive and low-effort, or you can be active and hustle rides by chatting up strangers. My roommate could squeeze blood from a stone when it came to persuading strangers to hop in her cab. She had a real talent for connecting with people and stretching out the ride in a way that was mutually beneficial for her (well paying) and the passengers (fulfilling concierge experience). In some ways she was like an escort you'd hire for good conversation at the bar. Minus the sexual expectations.
We all experienced bad actors (malevolent, drunk, immature, entitled) while working, but you can defuse the situation with finesse and charm, or you can bluntly and persistently deny them until they get worn down and steam off down the street to be someone else's problem.
I began as a largely introverted person and came to love the 5-15 minute window that I would have to get to know my clients while we traveled. It's a real captive audience and most people are down for the conversation and the connection. You learn how to listen and you learn to draw people out of their shells and be their best selves.
Some people were so great that on a few occasions I parked up my cab at our destination and spent the rest of the evening hanging out with them.
The job really rewards open-mindedness and a "yes, and" approach to dealing with people. Certain interactions with clients had a way of becoming very fun and adventurous if you kept an open mind and went along with your fares.
I guess the generalized version is "it's easier to get what you want through compromise and avoiding conflict." Or just, "you catch more flies with honey than vinegar."
Pedicabbing is one of the most satisfying, fun, and rewarding jobs that I've ever had for a handful of reasons:
1. I had full autonomy to operate how I see fit. I work when I want, I retire when I want, I roam where I please, and I select (or deny) customers I want to serve. I can hustle as hard as I want to drum up work and persuade other to take a ride or I can sit passively and wait for people to approach me.
2. It taught me a lot about sales, negotiation, value-based fees, soft skills, being an entertainer, and showing people a good time.
3. I was pedaling for dollars and hauling up to three full-grown adults at a time. Sometimes uphill. The physical exertion gets easier, but remains challenging. Quite often I am doing the equivalent of high intensity interval training for 8 hours a day. By the end of a shift I am operating on a runner's high.
I got home every night at 3a, took a shower, and then passed out in bed like a stone. Then I rose and ate 1500 calories for breakfast. Not to mention my constant food intake while working.
Gallons of water would flow through me. Quite often the heat was so much that I'd go hours without the need for a bathroom break because it was all coming out through my skin.
4. I met a LOT of fascinating people and got to spend 5-15 minutes at a time getting to know them. Having good conversations. If we hit it off well enough I have it within my power to park up my cab and spend time with them. I've ended up spending entire nights hanging out with people who I really enjoyed. Off the clock.
5. If all else fails and work is slow that evening I still have a custom stereo strapped to my cab and (for a music lover like me) that is all I need to keep going. People had to listen to some WEIRD shit on my cab, and often I would meet people who were just as passionate as I am and want to share their favorites.
6. The job is improvisatory, surprising, and rewards those with an open mind and an eye for opportunity. Those with a "yes, and" mindset. If you're down for it, you can follow your nose to some wonderful surprises.
7. You get to know the city intimately. You take pride in navigating well and in a creative manner. Being a pedicab affords you a lot of flexibility in how you travel, that cars cannot access.
8. Your fellow pedicabbers. A very colorful bunch. People from all walks of life do the job. Artists, crusty punks, 65 year-olds, family-men (and women), students, athletes, entertainers, the fabulously extroverted. My friend was a marine biologist for the city whose day job had him out in the river in a wetsuit taking water samples and working in a lab by day, and he was pedaling for dollars on the weekend. One of us was a clerk at the Capitol and was studying law. A common thread amongst us were people who had alternate lifestyles and this was a good hustle that suited our needs.
Many of us were musicians. I originally got into the job because I did a lot of touring with my band throughout the year. I needed a job where I could hit the road for two months and then jump back in as soon as we got back into town.
I could go on, but the job was so much fun. It's not for everyone and it takes a certain type, but for my five years on the cab I wouldn't trade them for anything.