So by now you can probably tell that I don’t sugar coat anything. I say it how I see it… so with this one I am diving right in.
While laying next to the pool yesterday with my good friend Leanne, we started talking about the different types of people we know in our lives and why some of them have amazing success at almost everything they do in life, while others remain stagnant and miserable no matter how hard they seem to try.
We came to the conclusion that there are two types of people in the world.
The Hard-Hitters and The Bull-Shitters.
Here are the not-so-official definitions of each:
Hard-Hitter: Someone who knows what they want and goes out and gets it; a balls to the wall, pedal to the metal, no excuses, life-loving mover and shaker.
I am a hard-hitter (and because of it, I live the life of my dreams).
Bull-Shitter: Someone who only knows what they don’t want, yet complains every day about having it, and makes up excuses as to why they have it; a whiney, I would if I could but I can’t so I won’t, resenting, self-pitying, slacker.
Although I don’t know exact numbers, it is safe to say that bull-shitters make up a HUGE percentage of the world’s population. We all know who they are… they’re the walking dead around us who go about their pathetic lives slowly sucking the life out of anyone who comes within ear shot of their infectious misery.
One of the things I find the most amusing about bull-shitters is their constant need to convince other bull-shiiters that their life is worse. It’s like “man that sucks that you lost your job today… well guess what? I lost my job and ran over my cat this morning… my life sucks way more.”
It’s this incredibly sad and pathetic need for sympathy that has made me realize that all bull-shitters have ONE distinctive characteristic. They suffer from the worst kind of PMS imaginable… “Poor Me Syndrome.”
“Poor Me Syndrome” is highly contagious and can be quite damaging if you are exposed to it for too long. If you find yourself in the presence of someone suffering from PMS, you need to distance yourself immediately and seek some serious hard-hitting treatment.
There are 7 hard-telling symptoms of “Poor Me Syndrome” that you need to look out for:
1. Jealousy – If there’s on thing I hate the most about bull-shitters it’s their uncontrollable jealousy. I get so sick of hearing the words “you’re so lucky” from countless bull-shitters I have ran across over time. As if I got to where I am today because of the horse shoe shoved up my ass. Bull-shitters are easy to spot because they turn bright green with envy when in the presence of a hard-hitter.
2. Resent – Yup. Bull-shitters are full of it. They are pissed off at the world for their “situation” and loathe others who are happy and successful. Yet instead of trying to learn from those who found a way to be completely fulfilled in life, they wallow in their self-pity and remain feeling completely sorry for themselves.
3. Excuses – This one has to be the most classic symptoms of PMS. Bull-shitters are constantly making up excuses as to why their life sucks and why they have yet to do anything about it. The truth is… they never will. They spend every ounce of energy they can muster up on justifying their reasons for inaction to anyone who will listen.
4. Complaining – When talking to a bull-shitters this is ALL you will hear. Bull-shitters have absolutely nothing positive to say about their current situation. They bitch and complain in hopes that SOMEONE (oh please anyone) has it worse off than they do. What they don’t know is the more they focus on the negative in their life, the more negative they will get. This is probably the most pronounced and contagious symptom of PMS. If around a bull-shitter for too long, you will feel the uncontrollable urge to complain yourself. You MUST resist.
5. Apathy- Bull-shitters NEVER take action. They sit on the sidelines and spend everyday watching life pass them by. Ask them why? Symptom 3 will suddenly become more pronounced.
6. Mediocrity – Bull-shitters have completely settled for mediocrity in their lives, yet they will never admit this to a hard-hitter. Bull-shitters have a horrible habit of surrounding themselves with other bull-shitters in hopes their “averageness” will appear less pronounced in comparison. The truth is, the only thing worse (and more noticeable) than mediocrity is a room full of it.
7. Ungratefulness – Last but not least. Bull-shitters are incapable of expressing gratitude. If you read my previous post you know the detrimental effects of this symptom so there’s no need to elaborate on this one.
Lucky for you (and me), these 7 symptoms of “Poor Me Syndrome” make it easy to smell a bull-shitter from a mile away.
If you are completely serious about being a hard-hitter and living the life of your dreams, the first thing you need to do is cut the bullshit and distance yourself from anyone in your life who suffers from the above symptoms. Cutting the bullshit isn’t always easy – especially when the culprits accused of spreading the “Poor Me Syndrome” are some of your very close friends or family. The best way to build immunity to PMS is to know a bull-shitter when you see one and take every possible precaution to protect yourself from their debilitating poison. Choose to surround yourself as much as possible with other hard-hitters. People who inspire and push you to be an absolute rock-star at everything you do.
Remember one thing: you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with in your life… so why not surround yourself with people you aspire to become? Not people who will only bring you down.
Think carefully about who deserves your energy and attention. Choose your 5 wisely.
To Living The Dream,
~ A
Photo courtesy of viscousplatypus.
Great post Alex. I love how you tell it like it is
Your advice on choosing 5 people who inspire and push you to succeed is enlightening. Sometimes we spend time with people who bring us down, without our conscious knowledge! Even things we watch on TV and read online can affect our moods, which is why I try to steer clear of news media!
Thanks again for a great post!
Hi Robyn – Thanks! I appreciate your input! I couldn’t agree with you more. So often we live our lives on auto-pilot completely unaware of the poison we let seep into our minds. Surrounding yourself with positivity is so important to remind you what you’re capable of!
You go girl.
So true! PMS truly is infectious and it’s frightening how easily you can become one of the living dead.. succumbing to the zombie-esque mediocrity that so many people give into.
That being said, I truly believe that everyone is capable of becoming a hard-hitter and it often requires nothing more than a paradigm shift in thinking. To quote William James “The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can alter his life simply by altering his attitude of mind.” This insight alone is profound in the sense that literally anyone can join the big leagues and live the life of their dreams by adopting the right frame of mind, and as such Big-Hitters have a responsibility of sharing this knowledge with those less informed.
What I’m really saying is stragglers should not be left behind. Initially, the easiest way to salvage whatever little motivation you have left after living a meaningless, soul-sucking existence is to completely disconnect yourself from the “Bull-Shitters” and surround yourself with “Big-Hitters”.
However, I am a strong advocate of challenging the status quo and not simply ignoring it.. I propose that for every 4 Big-Hitters you have in your “sphere of influence”, that you incorporate one Bull-Shitter as a sort of “adoptee” to take under your wing. This will shift the scales in our favour and eventually eliminate the discrepancy between those who are empowered and the other 95+% of the population.
Happy Living
Evan
“The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing.” – Michael E. Gerber
So freaking good … and SO SO TRUE!
Good stuff Alex,
Ryan
p.s. Love the headline …
Oh the interesting topics we discuss after a day of sipping cocktails by the pool! I definitely agree with what you have to say and am happy to announce that you are at the top of my top 5.
Look forward to hearing more from you….
LK
What a great post, thanks!
As there are many people who’ve “lost it” somewhere along the way, they start taking mediocrity as a standard. “It can’t be done, because the 50 people I know haven’t done it.”
Until someone proves the opposite — leading by example is a powerful thing.
Another thing that got me thinking was the jealousy in your list — when meeting something exceptional some people respond with jealousy, others get inspired, they just perceive the reality in a different way. Why to bother with jealousy, then inspiration is also an option? Oh well..
Great post, Alex!! I love it! really really true……discovered a lot!
I love how you compare bullshitters to zombies. It really resonates with me.
While the cinematic zombie is debatable, the life-sucking bullshitter is not. They’re everywhere and if you don’t stay away from them, you will become one too!
BEWARE!
Wow!! Nicely said!! Thank you for sharing these thoughts and reminding us of where our heads and lives should be!!
I like Evan Shoemaker’s challenge as well of surrounding ourselves with the ‘big hitters’ but keeping a ’straggler’ in our groups to keep us humble and helpful to others.
Way to go
I also agree with taking someone under your wing in a tricky social situation, lets face it, they can all be tricky, unlless you know who you’re round completely! Onwards & upwards. Have made some decisions lately to remove said “bullshitters” from my life & things ain’t unfolding too badly. You’ll always be on the look out for the unpositiive, once on the roll. Knowing what you want & getting it without hurting people IS possible, wish everyone could feel that way! Maybe things would be a bit more boring or less deserved if any different!
The article is ver good. Write please more
Hi Jane,
You got it
You can be expecting another post within a few days!
this, from a very interesting article you may enjoy. google any part of it and you will find it.
“When it comes to how we think, “negative” is not the only alternative to “positive.” As the case histories of depressives show, consistent pessimism can be just as baseless and deluded as its opposite. The alternative to both is realism — seeing the risks, having the courage to bear bad news, and being prepared for famine as well as plenty. Now, with our savings, our homes and our livelihoods on the line, we ought to give it a try.”
Every time I feel my motivation dwindling I read this article! Seriously, I have it open at all times on my iPhone I can whip it out in an emergency! It’s so nice to have someone say the (literally!) no bullshit answer to so many self inflicted problems! Most of what is out there just feeds into the “bullshitter” attitude that it isn’t your fault, or at least mostly not your fault, or sugar coats it so much that the truth is lost. The truth is so clear, we have so much more power over our lives than I would have ever thought before! Thank you so much for writing this! It has litterally changed my life! I can’t wait to see where I can take myself! And I can’t wait to see another post Alex!
Hi Alex… I just came across your blog somehow…. but glad I did. I LOVE this post. I was just thinking today how I hate excuses! Everyone has one.. sorta like a you know what. I like your tell it like it is style too.. keep on keepin it real!
Jason the “Hard-Hitter” James! Word!
Apathy. Give it a chance!
You inspire me. Keep it going. Reading, thinking, living, teaching, and giving.
My mantra for this week. The difference between living, and fully living is giving.
have an awesome day
My friend Mimi posted this on her blog and I can’t tell you how many times I return to this site to remind myself how to be a hard hitter…awesome post !
Thanks Michelle! Appreciate it