Consequences are not a thing of the past.
Very few people open their mouths (or pound a keyboard) these days and think beyond the impulse that causes them to vomit out pithy little insults, clever barbs, and other types of unpleasant communication.
It’s the age of social media and itโs now the norm, not necessarily acceptable, but the norm.
The other day I was updating some information on Facebook, which I rarely look at anymore, and I caught a post from someone I truly respect.
Most of you wonโt know his name, but those familiar with direct response copywriting, which in order to be successful you must choose each word carefully, then the name John Carlton means something. His carefully crafted sales pieces are closely studied by some of the best marketers on earth.
Rarely has a post on Facebook stopped me in my tracks, but after read his post I knew I mst share it with you. This is has such relevance to your own personal protection and if you master only these โbar rulesโ that John writes about, you’ll go a long way into minimizing violence in your life.
I am no near the wordsmith that John is, so I’m going to let John speak for himself.
Here’s his post:
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Back in the day (last century, pre-social media) there were standard “bar rules” that applied everywhere (but especially in bars):
1. Don’t talk about religion.
2. Don’t talk about politics.
3. Don’t brag.
Looking back, these rules served a social purpose — you could actually go half a lifetime without knowing how someone voted, what their spiritual life was like, or how great they were in the sack.
Yes, tippled folks would occasionally break ranks and try to carefully explain (having difficulty speaking) their superiority at something…
… but they were ignored, mocked, and held to account later. (“Wait, I said what? Geez, I’m such an azzhole…” “Yes, you were.”)
Today, a brisk stroll through the Facebook carnage (and remember, I’ve got around 10,000 of you fuckers who randomly land in my news feed) and whole blocks of posts:
1. Insult religions outside of their own fevered cult…
2. Literally get into the face of everyone around them with knee-jerk political ravings…
3. And endlessly brag about their lives, their houses, their families, their bowel movements, and everything else.
In real life (#RL), you’d probably notice other folks yawning, looking skeptical or embarrassed for you, or even shaking their heads while you babbled.
But online, no one can hear your screams.
You’ll notice, if you’ve read my crap with any consistency (and why would you be here now if you didn’t)…
… that I still obey those original bar rules. You have zero clue what my politics are (unless you’re a close friend — and don’t rat me out if you are, you azzhole)… no idea what kind of spiritual life I lead (or don’t lead)…
… and any success you may discern I’ve enjoyed is always (always) tempered with a story about what a loser I was until I accidentally stumbled on hints about making stuff work in biz. (Not a brag.) (Okay, maybe a humble brag. Fuck you for keeping score.)
I am an unlucky guy who undeservedly blundered into situations rife with generous, solid, good people who freely shared their wisdom, networks, and insider secrets…
… and my goal since writing my first book back in 2001 is to carry on that same behavior. Spread the wealth, pay it forward, help others surmount the same hurdles that knocked me on my ass early in my career.
I’m sharing here, in fact.
You won’t find Old School marketers, writers and biz owners talking religion or politics, or bragging. They’ve been around the block too often to not know the universe LOVES to find out you’ve been cocky and arrogant…
… cuz it has oh-so-many ways to remind you you’re just a lump of meat standing on a wet, wobbly orb spinning around a vast darkness completely hostile to your very existence.
A little humility goes a long way, folks.
And spreading FOMO around just incites others to hate you…
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I hope you’re able to digest all of that.
If you were offended by his profanity, then you really shouldn’t be following me. He’s one of the few people that uses profanity judiciously.
Now most of you are nodding your heads saying: โYeah, yeah, Tim I already do all this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I agree with Johnโ
Iโd call BS on many of you…
Because if those words of wisdom didn’t force you to stop and question/examine your communication behavior right nowโฆ.then you missed out on a great self protection skill set.
Can you control the impulse to be a jerk?
Can you control the impulse to take a verbal swipe at somebody?
Because if you can’t, you’re setting yourself up for a potentially life threatening situation.
Think I’m exaggerating? …I’m sorry I’m not.
I can’t tell you the number of people that end up in a live seminar with Target Focus Training who got there because of their mouths.
They weren’t thinking because they were too busy trying to be clever and forgot that they live in a physical world. Until they happen to do it to the one person who has no problem to violently remind them that they do live in a physical world, one with physical repercussions.
So the holiday season can be fantastic, provide lots of special memories, but never forget…it’s also the the time of year that yields much higher rates of suicides, domestic violence, assaults, and road rage.
People are incredibly stressed. This is good time for you to practice what John preaches.
If you need any guidance on how to do this then take advantage of my free masterclass. Its where I go over all of this and more.
Teaching you how to conduct yourself to make sure that you minimize the chance of violence ever entering your life.
Hope you all enjoy holiday season and that it is a memorable one for you and your loved ones…not an unpleasant one which invites avoidable violence.
Tim
