It’s easy to say that you’re going to do something. It’s another thing to actually do it. With all the talk about how to make America great again, I’ve actually spelled out the way to do it–and in only three easy steps.
What prevents greatness? Compromise. It is the compromise to lower standards and the subjugation of independent thinking. Greatness never wins in the war of compromise, only the laziest of ideas. Greatness cannot be achieved in this country by memes, slogans, catchphrases, or wishful thinking. It cannot be obtained by simply willing it to be. The loss of greatness is the result of an inspired proliferation of entitlement and irresponsibility, slowly metastasizing throughout the culture and settling in, taking root, springing forth with the Millennial generation. The only way to regain greatness is to recognize it for what it is, call it for what it is, and digging it out by its source. It starts with the individual and it must spread like a plague through the culture.
How do we bring back greatness to a country? It begins with the individual: correcting one cell at a time and/or leading by example. Attaining, regaining, or sustaining greatness can be thought of like a diet plan: A body-shaping Hollywood-style diet plan that must be applied for a blockbuster deal and then continued as a way of life to sustain the heights of one’s career.
Three easy steps can be applied to your life that will inspire not only a renewed sense of Greatness in the self but Greatness in others.
1: Work Hard
2: Be Positive
3: Stay Metal
It’s that simple, and here’s what it means.
Work Hard
I blame the Millennials and the parents attempting to raise such precious snowflakes on this one. These pajamaboys and crybabys have been raised to believe that they are never in the wrong and are worthy to be accepted at anything. These are the children of Participation Awards. These are the children that act like any other shitty child; however, when the teacher calls the parent to inform them that their angel is disruptive, the parent informs the teacher that their child couldn’t possibly be at fault because their child is a glorious little saint. The fault lies elsewhere.
Have you ever worked with a Millennial? I’m not saying they’re all bad but one thing is for certain, the vast majority of them refuse to admit that they ever do anything wrong. This makes working in a group environment intolerable. It’s not just the Millennials, mind you. There’s a pervasive attitude infecting society in all forms.
People don’t work hard anymore because they believe that everything is owed to them already. We live in a time where the belief in free healthcare, free education, and free entertainment is a credible opinion to have. There is little to no concern at all about actual values here. It doesn’t matter how long doctors have to go to school, how much they’ve had to pay in student loans, or how much they have to pay in their own insurance (i.e., malpractice insurance, etc.). People today actually believe that their services and expertise should be for free. Yet, within that same line of argument, even if they don’t believe it should be “free,” they believe it should be paid for by forcing other people to live, work, and pay for others. Not by volunteering, but by force.
Heap upon that the belief being “cool” is not giving a shit.
“It’s just moving money around,” they’ll say. Right, moving money around that was obtained by force.
The notion of working hard to get what you want has gone away. They want what they want and they want it now—so pay up, because you owe it to them.
I believe in Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—accent on the word “pursuit.” Because this is your journey with your mistakes. If you screw up along the way, that’s on you. Want a little bit of help? That’s what charities, churches, and families are for.
You’re probably reading this and thinking to yourself, “fuck this guy, I work hard.” No, you don’t. The chances are that you think you work hard because you’re too glib to know what hard work is. I tell you what, if I ever have kids, the best advice I will ever give them is to work really, really hard. Because if you just work hard you’re only ahead of the people you work with. If you work really hard then you’re already ahead of the manager on duty. But if you work really, really hard you’re ahead of the vast majority of people, living and breathing and taking up space.
But how do you know if you’re a hard worker? Trust me, I know and have worked with so many people in my life, most of which all believe that no one works harder than they do. And, from my experience, they all are doing the bare minimum to just not get fired. If you just work really, really hard then you’re already ahead of the next person. So few people today actually apply themselves.
Do not subscribe to the law of standards but apply yourself to the bigotry in lower expectations. There’s nothing wrong with hating lazy and unmotivated people. And don’t listen to what your boss has to say because nine times out of ten I’m willing to bet that they’re a fucking idiot, too. These are the people creating the lowered expectations. They will hate you for making them look bad. Your hard work will make them feel like lesser people. And hopefully maybe, just maybe, they will wake up and realize why the world is passing them by.
However, I doubt it.
These people will always find an excuse or a justification for why they are stuck in the mud. They will demand a helping hand because they feel as though they’ve been dealt a raw deal. They pay no mind to the decisions they’ve made. They see their fleeting successes as a testament to their own prowess but they see every failure as the weight of an unjust world bearing down upon them.
Work hard and pay for what you want—not by credit but by the result of your own actions. Get out of credit card debt and build up your savings account. Get out of your Mom’s basement and get a job. Put down the video game controller, stop watching cartoons, stop calling in sick so you can go to the movies. Grow up. Be a Man. Make good decisions. Finish school. Shut your mouth. Mind your own business. Fix your house up. Mow your lawn. Stop pouring money into pimping out your shitbag Oldsmobile when your kid needs school supplies. Stop being a soft little pajamaboy. The world needs more Men and Women and far less crybaby sissy hashtag activists.
And I’m not just talking about your employment situation. I’m talking about Working Hard and having a work ethic throughout your life. Your work ethic doesn’t begin and end at the workplace.
If you go grocery shopping, return the cart to where it belongs. Don’t go grab a cart, march up and down the aisles loading it up, then go to the checkout counter to unload it for the cashier, then load it back up to take to your car, then unload it into your car, and then leave it in the parking lot like a baboon fresh out of the zoo. The social contract doesn’t end at your car’s bumper. I’ve measured it and the shopping cart return station is never more than ten paces away from whatever parking spot you’ve secured for yourself. Stop being a lazy good-for-nothing hunk of shit and return your shopping carts to their designated area. You think those shopping cart returns were for your convenience? Well, they are. They’re there so you don’t have to walk your shopping car all the way back to the store like the way things used to be. Yeah, at one point those little shopping cart return stations conveniently located throughout the parking lot were never there. You actually had to walk all the way back to the store to return your cart. You know, LIKE A CIVILIZED HUMAN BEING.
You can’t make America great again if it’s filled with a bunch of entitled idiots that expect everything to be done for them.
Be Postive
It’s hard to be positive when you’re surrounded by people that rightfully deserve your disdain. That being said, there’s a thing called “mirroring” which means that when you’re in a social situation, people will often mirror your demeanor. Let’s say you’re a bartender, standing behind the bar with your arms crossed and a sad sack look on your face. When a customer walks in to get a drink from you, they see what kind of demeanor you’re putting on. They will then, unknowingly, mirror your demeanor and it will be reflected in your tip. Let’s say you walk into a meeting chewing gum and sit at the table with your arms crossed. Congratulations, you just put forth a negative vibe which will be felt throughout the rest of the meeting.
Do you really think such a negative person would get promoted? Do you think upper management sees a negative employee and thinks, “see that guy down there supervising the employees, getting in a huff, losing his temper, and rolling his eyes…I want to work with him so he can bring that same effective process up here with us.”
You have better chances at getting what you want with a positive attitude. This goes for anything in life.
I once approached someone at an airline terminal before boarding my flight. I asked them something in a very nice manner, looked them in the eye, and was attentive to how they were responding. In turn, they bumped me up in the seating order, gave me a better seat, and all because “I was a nice guy.”
Being positive to people works better today than it has ever worked. So many people are negative and want to take out their frustrations on others. Imagine a police officer’s normal workday. They’re constantly dealing with people lying to them: I wasn’t speeding, I didn’t do anything wrong, I had my seatbelt on the whole time, it wasn’t my fault, it wasn’t me, blah blah blah, the cop is at fault. They’re precious little snowflakes that never mess up. Now, imagine if a cop pulls you over, asks you if you know why they pulled you over, and you responded with, “yeah, I apologize. I was speeding. I’m sorry, my mind was off in LaLaLand for a minute.”
You’ve now increased your chances of getting off with a warning instead of getting a ticket. However, if you start bitching and complaining to the officer, saying things like, “but the speed limit doesn’t increase until around the next turn…you must’ve got the car in front of me…why are you guys always pulling me over…I want to see your radar reading…”
The officer will then mirror your attitude and go into teach-you-a-lesson mode. It’s a game you’re not going to win.
Look, it’s easier said than done. Most people hate their jobs and have to put up with nonsense on a daily basis. There’s only so much you can take. Just be diligent and remember that, all things considered, if you work hard and stay positive the situation can only improve…unless you have terminal cancer, in which case, don’t listen to what I’m saying.
Yes, the country—and the world—would be a better place if positivity spread throughout the culture as opposed to a general sense of malaise.
Stay Metal
The expression “stay metal” simply means to stay true. No, you don’t have to be a metalhead to stay metal (kinda, you do). But you can apply this to your life even if you’re a fan of The Anti-Christ (aka, Taylor Swift).
Stay true to yourself and don’t sell yourself short. Work hard, but don’t let your employers walk all over you. Be positive, but don’t be naïve. Don’t lose sight of who you are or where you came from. Be yourself in all things. Do what you want and what makes you happy…as long as it doesn’t adversely interfere in the lives of others.
In short, act responsibly in a measured light while staying true to who you are. Really, all this was covered many years ago when the great ones—Bill S. Preston, Esq and Ted “Theodore” Logan of the Wyld Stallyns—said the now infamous line that should keep us all in check: Be Excellent To Each Other.
