What do I mean by this when I say "Like sheep to the slaughter?"
What I mean is that I think there is a tendency for men and women in society today to put the blindfold on, to blindly follow other people, to go with the status-quo, and to do what everyone else is doing.
There’s a lot of reason we do this but at the end of the day, the pack or herd mentality is designed to keep us safe and alive. It’s been programmed into us since the dawn of man – that if we stick together we’ll survive.
And, while that may be true in certain circumstances, I think it has become less and less relevant. I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t stick together. I’m not suggesting that we shouldn’t find people we can rally around and those who will rally around us.
But, I do believe there is danger in following the pack without questioning where the pack is headed.
And, that is exactly what I wanted to talk with you about today. I want to talk with you about the dangers and I want to talk with you about a few tactical strategies you can employ starting right now that will allow you to be your own man.
First and foremost, you need to understand that you don’t always have a good idea of what the herd’s motives are.
Is the government really there to protect you? Is the healthcare industry really there to heal you? Is it really my intention to help you become a better man?
I know what they’d say. I know what I’d say. But, unless you know with 100% certainty what their motives are, you need to approach every interaction and every engagement with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Next, let’s talk about fake news. And, I’m not just talking about what we see on Facebook with clickbait titles. I’m talking about everything from your friend’s Instagram account to the way people take pictures and how they talk about their life to the cars they drive and the house they live in.
Are the stories people are telling us really what is going on?
A lot of you know that I am a financial advisor. I can tell you from experience that there are a lot of people who are driving some fancy cars, living in some big homes, and going on some exotic vacations that really shouldn’t be. They’re up to their eyeballs in debt and, inside, they’re miserable.
But the have to keep up that persona. They have to maintain that veneer. They want everyone to think they’re happy when, in all reality, they are anything but.
Which leads me to talk about misery. We’ve all hear the adage that misery loves company. And, it’s true.
I know a lot of people who are miserable. There is absolutely nothing good about their life – according to them. And, rather than try to lift themselves out of it, they’d rather spend that time and energy focuses on dragging you down.
The catch is that sometimes is difficult to tell if someone is miserable because they’ve got the persona to uphold I was telling you about.
I’ll talk with you in a little bit about what you can do but understand that there are a lot of miserable people out there and they want you to be miserable too.
[quote cite='George Washington' align='none']If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.[/quote] Tweet That
And the last point I want to touch on is the over-sensitive world in which we live. You cannot say anything without someone getting upset or crying foul.
In fact, someone is going to be upset about this podcast and the fact that I used the word slaughter because, heaven forbid, we remind people that we eat meat.
It’s absolutely ridiculous!
I’m not sure how far this goes but I can tell you that I believe that part of the reason we’re so sensitive is because silent workers are good workers. Society does not want people to buck the system.
It’s the reason we love the rebel in a movie so much. It’s because he’s challenging the status-quo and society or the government or an organization is working so hard to keep him silent. Those entities don’t want heroes, they want workers. And, the more silent you are, the more you conform, the more profitable you are for them.
So, consider that next time you say something that you really think and feel but might challenge the system. If you’re put on blast for being a racist, a bigot, a sexist, and/or and extremist, maybe you’ll think twice about opening your rebellious mouth next time.
Those are just a few of the symptoms and reasons we’re encouraged to sit down, shut up, and play nice. Let’s talk about how we can avoid being led away to the slaughterhouse.
First and foremost, you have to know exactly what you want. If you don’t, it will be easier to lead you astray.
What do you want in your business? Your fitness? Your family? Your spirituality? What do you want in every aspect of your life?
Know what that is and being led to the slaughter will be less and less likely because you’ll be able to engage the second point I want to make.
Learning to say “no” is critical in becoming your own man. Everyone wants you to say “yes.” Everyone wants you to do what they’re doing (I already told you why). Everyone wants you to conform.
But, because you now know exactly what you want, you can have a clear conscious when you say “no” to the things that aren’t in line with what you’re trying to accomplish in life.
Next, qualify your sources. Where are you getting your information? Are you getting it from people and sources that aren’t qualified to give you that advice? If you are, it’s more likely that you’ll be led away to a place you don’t want to go.
Look for people who know what they are doing and, more importantly, are already experiencing the results you’re after.
Doing that will alleviate a lot of the chances of you being led down the wrong path but it won’t completely remove the threat.
That is why it’s important you approach everything with a healthy dose of skepticism.
You should question everything. Is this really the way it is? Is this really what I want? Are you qualified to give me that advice? What is in it for you when you give me a recommendation?
I’m not telling you to be a cynic. There is a line you should avoid crossing because you don’t want to turn into the bitter, angry, old man.
But, you do want to know what you’re getting yourself into before you get yourself into it.
And the last point I want to make is that you should always engage your mind in addition to your emotions. We, as humans, are emotional creatures.
Those emotions are there to serve us but I know there have been a lot of times in my life where my emotions got the better of me because I wasn’t willing to engage my brain for just a second and ask myself what was really happening.
Patience is a virtue. If you can’t take a step back and evaluate and analyze what is actually happening you’re going to get burned more often than you’d like to admit.
Gentlemen, as I wrap things up today, I just want you to know that we, as men, are supposed to lead. And, in order to lead, we have to be able to think independently about what is going on around us.
Yes, there are going to be times where following is also required but, if you arm yourself with an understanding of people’s motives and intentions and the tools I talked about, you’re less likely to be led to the slaughter.
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