The Secret to Success

"The secret to success is to offend the greatest number of people."

-- George Bernard Shaw

What if old G.B. Shaw is right? What if all these years we've been playing nicey nice, sucking-up, and trying to win friends and influence people, we've just been wasting our time and moving further and further away from success? Joke's on us, I guess.

One of the coolest things about true wisdom is that sometimes it goes against commonly accepted practices. My bet is that Shaw was not advising us to go out and deliberately try and piss people off, but rather to spread our message far and wide, and let the chips fall where they may. The more widely you distribute your message, the more attention you receive, the more transparent you are, the more people you are likely to offend. It's a simple numbers game.

The other side of the coin is that when you offend the greatest number of people, you also attract the most loyal fans and the strongest advocates. Opposition will be huge, but so will support.

Perhaps more importantly, you will be you. Authenticity will shine. So many times when we walk around on egg shells, talking in our best politically correct voices, and trying not to offend anyone, we are merely being dishonest. Our true thoughts and feelings, indeed our true selves, are hidden beneath the desire to be well liked and the wish to fit in. Rubbish!

You are not here to please the world, you are here to be true to your Self. If people like you, great! If they don't, so be it.

So, just for today, be you. Be you without worrying about how others are perceiving you. Keep your eyes on the horizon and off the rear view mirror. Enjoy your own unique, idiosyncratic nature, and share it openly and freely. Better to be your true offensive self than a pale, defensive clone!