DISCLAIMER: I'm not big into sentimental stuff. I hate mushy cards. I hate wasting words. I hate people who give mushy cards and I hate people who waste words (well, hate is a bit extreme. Solidly dislike is more accurate.) In other words, this is unusal for me. So I hope you enjoy it.
Who's that? That's you... or at least a very broad interpretation of you that probably isn't anatomically correct or remotely accurate. Or may not even be the right gender. (hey, no matter what I picked I was bound to leave someone out)
That may not have been clear enough...
Alright, that's good. No confusion as to who I am discussing (and gender equality, yay!:)
That's right I am discussing you
And you know what, you're a f****** badass. Oh sure, you may not be endowned with all the beauty or brains you desire, but you're still a unique human being that has an opportunity to live a life. If that's not awesome, I don't know what is.
Too often we forget this
You are YOU...
No matter what anyone tells you...
(Picked this one because it reminds me of people at my local grocery store. Sidenote: I live in a weird community)
Just because you are awesome doesn't mean everyone thinks that. For whatever reason, there will be people you meet that simply do not like you. There are angry lunatics all over the place (especially in my community. Like I told you, I live in a strange community). They will try to get you down. As the old saying goes "Misery enjoys company." Right. So don't give it company. Next time someone is mouthing off about you as a person, being rude, or talking about how much they don't like you, try one of these.
-Walk away: People like this HATE when you walk away from them. It reminds them that they aren't a God and don't control you
(Don't do the walk of shame like this guy though)
-Snap, you're gone: Funny how cartoons can give you ideas for the real world. I was watching an American dad (adult cartoon) episode recently. in it, the main character snaps at people who are annoying him. Granted, he does it because he's a p****. Don't do it because you're a p****. Do it because you don't need to take s*** from anyone. Bigger, smaller doesn't matter. Next time someone is insulting you or giving you a hard time for no reason, just snap your fingers and ignore them. They'll get the memo.
You do NOT let yourself be pushed around
-Stand up for yourself: Doesn't matter what the consequences. Does the person seem like they are going to fight you? Alright, let them if they so desire. Going to shout at you, attempt revenge... let them. You stand tall and proud. You are a human being. You do not take their crap. You don't fear the consequence. Worst case scenario of being punched... you get punched. Maybe even beat up. That hurts far less for a far shorter amount of time than not standing up for yourself. If I could go back in time and tell my younger self to stand strong in a position where I fleed, I would. Yes, bullies are scary. Doesn't matter. They don't deserve to be here any more than they do, so you let them know. Sooner or later everyone has to learn to stand up for yourself. Mine as well be today. Next time someone's being an a** don't let them. Stand up for yourself, however you see fit.
(well said Mr. Red gummy bear)
You are not Interning for the job of Personal Assistant
Are they paying you to carry their s***. No, so why are you doing it. There are many people in the world who have never carried their own s*** and they aren't about to start either. Picture this: You go hiking on a Sunday morning, enjoying yourself. Then some total a****** comes up and says "hey, you're going the same place I am." "Would you mind taking this giant bag that I bought with all my stuff in it so I can enjoy my hike." "Thanks man." How pissed off would you be? You'd probably want to kick their stupid bag of c*** over the next ledge. Do that in a metophorical sense. Kick their stupid bag of c*** over a ledge and let them figure out how to clean it up. It isn't your responsiblity. When someone hands off all their emotional baggage onto you, it's just bogging you down more. They aren't paying you or returning the favor in any way. So why bother? Now and again, when they have a really heavy load and you have a really light one, you can take a bit of their baggage. But don't do it all the time. If you do, start requesting pay, 20k a year for dealing with their emotional baggage. Roughly how much someone in a job doing that would get.
You are not a punching bag
We all know someone like this. Too lazy to go to the gym or get their emotions out in any productive way. NOT too lazy to run their mouth. If their was a competition for strongest mouth, these people would be number one because they are exercising their mouth all the time. Whose the punching bag? You. Do you want to be a punching bag? No, because it hurts like hell to be a punching back and get hit all the time. So don't be their punching bag. Let them punch the air. Suggest they go to the gym to take out their emotion. If they try to punch you, ignore or retaliate. A punching bag that punches back isn't very useful, and an invisible punching bag isn't either.
But other people are "You's" as well
Reality is that we've probably been all the people on this list. We can get so caught up in ourselves and how awesome we are that we forget about other people. Which is called being egotistical. Egotistical people are not popular. Don't be egotistical. Abide by the following:
Treat others the way you want to be treated: Cheesy, like the winner of the "world's largest mozarella ball" contest. But true as well. If you are about to do something, ask yourself "would I want someone doing this to me." If you honestly answer "I would understand why they did it and would let them do it" then have at it. But if you can't honestly answer that, don't. Every time you are about to do something major, ask yourself "Would I mind if someone did this to me." If the answer is "yes I would mind and it would be unreasonable as there is no reason why they should," don't do it.
Appreciate the things other people do for you: Easy to take for granted, but people constantly do nice things for others that go unappreciated. Just say thanks, that's all you need to do. Guaranteed they will appreciate it. it's hard to get mad if someone says thanks. If they do get mad and think you are being sarcastic, you never have to say "thanks" again. Most people will appreciate it.
Return The Favor: Every now and again do something that helps someone else, but maybe doesn't help you. Not just small things like opening a window, or turning off a light. Larger things too. Pay for the check at a group dinner. Give your first class seat to someone who looks like they need it if you always fly first class. To balance out the favors other people do for you, you've got to do favors for other people. Maybe you're taking a loss. But the other person as gaining something. And they have taken a loss so you gained something. It's only fair.
Being you, you have strengths/Positive Traits
Things that you are good at. Things that come naturally to you. Focus on these, hone these. Your personality is made up of these. Natural talents. Take advantage of your strengths. Use them to exercise, help a weakness or grow the strength. Don't forget about them. Enjoy them.
and, being you, You also have weaknesses/negative traits
Don't dwell on these. If possible, figure out how to improve them/turn these into strengths. If not, don't worry. Everyone has them. If people say they don't, their weakness is insecurity.
Accept and Appreciate all these things, the good and the bad. Because ultimately they are what makes you...
YOU
Which is great, because YOU
are f****** awesome
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