Win the Argument, Lose Everywhere Else.
I win arguments in the way that Conor McGregor breaks heads. That doesn’t make me right.
If you’re not a UFC fan, McGregor is known for a brutal left hand often referred to as the “touch of death.” Jose Aldo had not lost in a decade, and then McGregor knocked him out in 13 seconds with that left hand. Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words…
Also, the formerly “unbeatable” champ never recovered. Conor went up a weight class, but he had mentally shattered Jose.
Thats what I’m like when I argue. I don’t raise my voice. I don’t fight like a madman…I just wear down my opponent and look to throw that touch of death blow.
I’ve won arguments where I later realized how wrong my position was. I’ve won two arguments that cost me good friends…even though I’m right.
Mostly though, I’ve won arguments against opponents who I’ve easily crushed…just because I was doing radio and TV and writing for a living…and most people get “real” jobs before they’re 31.
Winning an argument used to be one of my favorite things, until I realized Jay-Z was right.
On his 2001 classic The Blueprint Jay addresses the critics who had been claiming the Brooklyn rapper sold out his authenticy in exchange for fame and a large payday.
Look scrapper I got nephews to look after/I’m not looking at you dudes, I’m looking past ya.
There it is, right in front of you. In an era where everyone takes umbrage over everything…where the hot takes can never come fast or furious enough…just stop participating. Look to where you want to go, and who you’re doing it for. Look right past the idiots trying to pull you back down like crabs in a bucket.
Every argument I engage in, social media or otherwise, drains my energy. It didn’t matter so much in my twenties, when I had ample time for videos games, movies and mountain biking on the weekends. But my goals are different now.
Digital Profit Farm is my first company, but not the only one I plan on launching. I’m married now. I’ve got a daughter arriving in the world in October. That leftover energy and brain power I could burn on arguments when I was younger now must be focused on business, family and making the world a better place.
Every time I deviate from the path of my goals to dust it up in an argument with some idiot, I’m robbing resources from another bucket, personally or professionally.
I keep that Jay-Z line in my head every day, even whispering it to myself when I’m tempted to get pulled off track. “I’m lookin’ past ya.”
I am still relatively young and strong, but the days are long and the years are short. The day will come when my life is boiled down to a couple of speeches for a church full of mourners, and I have yet to hear a great eulogy about someone who spent decades verbally crushing anyone who dared step to him.
Stop looking to the right or left…what you really need is out there on the horizon. Go get it, and don’t get distracted.
