Ten Ways to Pimp-Proof Your Life

in #story5 years ago (edited)

Pimped (slang): To be persuaded, smooth talked or tricked by another person into doing something exclusively for their benefit.

Pimps can come in a variety of different forms; bosses, co-workers, significant others, relatives, politicians, and even friends. These people usually have one thing in common, they exude charisma (and tend to exhaust your energy). Apparently I'm an extremely slow learner because it took me nearly half my adult life to find modest success as a writer. It took so long for me mostly because I was led astray while trying to establish my career. In the last twenty years I've learned some important lessons by being "pimped" (i.e., taken advantage of, swindled, led on a professional equivalent of a snipe hunt) in almost every imaginable way.

Below are some of the most effective ways I’ve learned to shield yourself from the pimps:

  1. Realize your own worth and ever tie that self-worth to anything outside of yourself. Unfortunately, money is how many of us have been taught to keep score in life but it rarely equates to happiness and fulfillment. You should never be measured by anything external like money, possessions, or appearance. Never seek acceptance or validation from others. This alone takes away most of the pimp's power of persuasion. If you are walking around with a general feeling that you don’t measure up this is a good indicator that you have work to do on yourself, spiritual work. I realized this in my early twenties. I began a self-improvement regime that prompted me to move eight hundred miles away from home and to learn meditation. I became a new person because of it.

  2. Get to know who you really are. This isn’t as easy as it seems. Have the courage to learn who you really are beneath the mask that you’ve felt like you’ve had to wear so you will be accepted and liked by others. This takes courage and honesty, this takes deep reflection, this involves assessing your strengths and weaknesses. Pimps will seek out victims who don't know who they are, the confused, and the indecisive. The truth is, we spend too much of our time and energy trying to figure out other people and events in our lives but not nearly enough attention on introspection and contemplation of the inner self. Once we know ourselves we can learn to love and accept ourselves. If we don’t like what we see, we can also identify what we need to work on.

  3. Discover what sets you apart. Once you have removed the mask and are comfortable with who you are relish it then unapologetically flaunt the h@ll out of it. Your strength is your uniqueness, a single person who sees the world through the exact same lens as you. Don't dare compromise your future potential by emulating anyone else. There are many people waiting to connect with your uniqueness. Do you and you’ll find your tribe. Learn to be confident and comfortable in your own skin and others will naturally be drawn to you. People can feel genuine confidence and are attracted to it like a magnet. Authenticity is like armor that sends the pimps running for an easier target.

  4. Live, eat, and breathe your business or craft. You must learn your business or craft inside and out. It must be absorbed into your DNA. It’s clique but knowledge truly is power. Your passion in life should not be accompanied by a feeling of dread. Your business or craft should give you a reason to get out of bed in the morning and provide you with hope that is the guiding light through dark days. If this is the case, it is a very good indication that you should doggedly pursue it. Your passion simply must feel like one of the greatest loves of your entire life, it can save you during the darkest of days. Thank God that I've had writing to help me through this crypto bear market and many of the other hard times in my life.

  5. Don't be afraid to fail (F.A.I.L. = “first attempts in learning.) Pimps can smell fear from a mile away. Unless you're extremely smart or very lucky you will fail a few times, it’s part of the learning process. You may even fail five times like me, or more, but that’s okay. I published five books before I sold even two hundred copies of a book title. Sure I was depressed about it but I learned something from each and every failure. If you learn a lesson it’s never a failure.

  6. Do the work. Research shows that it takes ten thousand hours to master a new skill. I would argue it takes another five to ten thousand hours to learn the skill well enough to put your own unique stamp on that skill. This will set you apart from everyone else doing the same thing. The most important thing is to start...start today. It’s absolutely not necessary to “pay dues” in anything, never let anyone let you believe this line of thinking. This is a trick the pimps of the world use to exploit you. But you better believe there’s no way around having to do the work. There is a difference.

  7. No excuses. Believe me, I've used them all, "I'm too old, I don't have enough time, I don't have enough money, no one will publish my work, no agent is interested in me, I don’t know the right people, etc." This is pure bull$h!t. Very few people are handed anything in this world. The problem is some people just make it look easy. The clock of your life is ticking, don’t delay. The sooner your feet hit the path, the sooner you'll arrive at your destination.

  8. Be patient. The universe unfolds according to its own timeline, not yours. For fifteen years I watched almost every single one of my peers surpass me in every measurable way. Have faith and trust that everything that mystifies you will eventually make sense in hindsight. Trust me, it will. Most people quit when they’re just inches away from the finish line. Don’t quit.

  9. You don’t have to do it alone. Trying to wear every hat and be an expert in everything will not only lead to exhaustion it will take you years longer to achieve your goals. Outsource what you’re not proficient in to the experts and focus on your strengths this creates a shortcut. Do you remember those first five books I mentioned before that didn’t sell? I failed because I did everything myself from book layout to cover design, to promotion. I spread myself too thin to spend enough time on the things that mattered. Learn from my mistakes, assemble a talented team to help you achieve your goals. If you don’t have money offer to trade skills or offer them a percentage of future sales up to a certain amount. Also, find an altruistic network of people who support you and provide honest feedback. This more scare and valuable than gold.

  10. Help others when you can. This is especially important to do when you’re feeling depressed or like you’re a failure because it boosts you up. This kind of behavior is the ultimate pimp-repellent. It confuses them, they don’t understand it. In truth, there’s so much success to go around that it should never be hoarded, rather it should be shared. There’s plenty available for everyone to have their own piece. No matter where you are in the pursuit of your passion there’s likely someone you can teach or encourage. When you do this the world literally opens up to you. We’re so lucky to live in an age where it’s easy to connect with large groups of people to share our stories and teach. Others can learn from the mistakes you made and you can offer them the invaluable gift of providing a shorter path to success. The really beautiful thing is the universe rewards this kind of behavior and you’ll ultimately find much greater success because of it.

I hope these tips have helped to give you something to think about. In reality, pimps of the world are often cowards and bullies that thrive on intimidation, scare tactics, and empty promises to survive. Like everyone, these people will never find happiness and true peace until they learn to evolve and become better versions of themselves.

Even if a few of the ten steps above are mastered your life will quickly become more pimp-proof. Each of us have a right and an equal opportunity to experience life as a victor instead of a victim. The only true limits are the ones we perceive in our minds. Life can be much more wondrous than we can even imagine.

Are you a victor or a victim? The choice is yours, which path will you choose?

Enjoy your weekends!

Eric

(Gif sourced from Giphy.com)


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*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.

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I hope these tips have helped to give you something to think about.

More like sharing your wisdom through experience. Very uplifting post..
Explanation on saying uplifting: Okay..it uplifts us to learn through your experience and for me, I have seen this in action. :) hope that makes sense to someone lol

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it! : )

Excellent review, my friend and your advices is very relevant, especially in today's not easy time. You are right, should always be careful of sutiners! Thanks Eric

Thanks for reading!

These are such valuable lessons Eric! You're right in calling them pimps, we've all encountered those throughout life, they're like leeches, just much much worse!
And important to learn that we must fight the fight with all the resources at hand, we're not alone after all. Sadly I've seen so many give up when they've almost reached their goalpost!
I'm so glad you kept on writing, the world certainly would be poorer without your work!
Here on Steemit you're a shining light for many, thank you for that :)

Thank you @lizelle! The world is so full of these leeches (that's a good term for them). I was in a position where I had no option but to keep trying. Steemit was the catalyst that lifted me up to the next level and that's why I'm so hesitant to give up on it. Hopefully we can get through this rough patch. I think everyone who is still curating and creating content on here should be commended. I'm so glad you're still here!

Thanks for your useful lessons of life and i can relate to the phrase"Most people quit when they’re just inches away from the finish line." I think I need to learn to have patience.

You're welcome! As long as you're learning lessons from mistakes and missteps you're getting closer to your goal.

I think the key to bringing all together is in helping people, help people... the other steps seem to fall in place once that is accomplished.

Giving back is very important!

All points are life changing points . Very inspirational post by you.

Most agree with the second point, most people do not know what actually they are? What is special in them and what is not special.

Agreed with all points. specialy agreed with second and fifth points .

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