Recently, my buddy Josh Carter was dealing with some punk who stole pictures of his wife in the gym and used them to create some promo images.
Pro tip for young trainers: stealing other people’s content and rebranding it is a bad idea. Take pride in your work and use images of your own clients.
Anyway, after Josh calls him out, the guy throws a huge hissy fit and leaves a negative review on Josh’s business page, pointing out that Josh came after him for the images (as if defending his own content is a bad thing).
And all of the sudden, even though I had nothing to do with this, the guy ends with some sarcastic remark asking if this was all “some piece of BS marketing advice from Bedros.”
I got a good laugh out of it.
First off, I have to give the guy some credit for spelling my name right (instead of Pedro, Berdo, or Bedroom, which have all happened).
Second, I joked with Josh later that I’m “the universal asshole” – sorta like the universal blood donor, only you get to use me whenever you want to blame your problems on someone else.
We laughed, but the more I think about it, there might really be something to this.
How the Universal Asshole Effect Works
Because I believe so strongly in modeling success, I’ve personally studied A TON of hugely successful people to see how they operate.
I’ve studied everything from billionaire CEOs, to world-class athletes, to entertainment megastars, to master innovators and inventors – people who have made enormous, mind-boggling contributions to human life.
And yet for each of these people, people who have or soon will secure their place in history as heroes, there is a tiny camp of people screaming that they are assholes.
I’ve come to accept that this just comes with the territory. And honestly, it’s a pretty easy problem to deal with once you recognize that there are thousands of other people who are grateful for your existence.
But I am still fascinated by the Universal Asshole effect…and I think I may have figured out where it comes from.
Jealousy.
The seed of the effect is jealousy…but it’s a very specific kind of jealousy.
See, I’ve noticed that most of these people in the screaming doubter camps actually have a lot of potential…they just don’t recognize it. These aren’t guys with impossible obstacles in life, these are young guys living in FIRST WORLD COUNTRIES (uh, hello!)
And judging by their endless stream selfies, they are okay trainers…not great, but if they applied themselves they could be great.
Frankly, a lot these guys have it so much better than I did at their age. So I just have to scratch my head and wonder “Why are these guys so angry?”
That’s when it hits me: they’re jealous. Not just jealous of our success as high-performing entrepreneurs, but jealous of our discipline and dedication.
These are guys that really do have resources, but they just aren’t using them, either because they’re too scared to put themselves out there or they’re allergic to hard work. And on some deep subconscious level, they understand how much they’re throwing away by sticking to mediocrity.
So then they look at us, the people who MAN UP, take responsibility for our lives, take massive action, and succeed through adversity, and they get screaming angry because we’re reminding them of their own squandered potential.
If they had it their way, the whole world would stay as mediocre as they are so they could safely keep sleepwalking and never have to challenge themselves.
And to that, I have only one thing to say…
HELL. NO.
Hell no are we going to sink back into the sea of mediocrity!
Why I’m a Proud Universal Asshole and You Should Be Too
The truth is, I welcome the whining of the man babies. I consider it a badge of honor. Why?
Because remember: these guys only ever come after you if you’re doing something truly remarkable, if you’re actually making a difference and getting noticed.
So you and I shouldn’t be trying to back down or appease these guys – we should work to make them even more jealous. We should just keep CRUSHING in business, living the abundant lifestyles we want, and giving massive value to the people we serve.
Remember: you are here because you’re different. You’re here because you have a purpose and a drive to help people, AND you aren’t afraid to ask for the value you want in return.
If they’re smart, those whiners will get over themselves learn to follow our example. If not, who cares? You’ve got a whole tribe of people to take care of and empower – focus your energy on them.
Ultimately, whatever negativity the whiners create is on them, not you. In the long game, hard work and honesty always win.
So what’s the next step for you?
A Tribe of Leaders
Maybe you have an easy time laughing off the whiners…or maybe you don’t. I think it varies day to day.
To be honest, I wasn’t always this good at maintaining perspective. I used to let this BS get to me, before I knew how to put it away in its proper place.
And there are still days were it starts to creep in, especially when I’ve got 100 other problems to deal with and the whiners almost become “the straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
Can you maybe relate?
When that starts to happen, I find it most helpful to reach out to my tribe. For me, that means the business coaches who guide me, my friends and partners in business, and the rising stars that I coach.
The beauty of this tribe is that it’s a whole tribe of leaders. Nobody in the tribe is a mere follower – everyone has a big vision that they’re chasing and are constantly looking to improve their own game so they can lead by example.
And for that exact reason, everyone understands the unique pressures that leaders face. We know how to support each other in our vulnerable moments while still keeping up the searing hot ambition that drives us all forward.
We’re able to help each other do mindset checks, filter through the nonsense of the outside world, and stay laser-focused on success, all while giving each other specific, nuts and bolts advice on things like marketing, selling, and business development.
And I want to give you the chance to be a part of this unique community and start experiencing a level of success beyond what you’ve ever imagined. Sign up for my 7 Figure Mastermind today to get yourself the elite, high-performance mindset and coaching that will make your business unstoppable!
Committed to your success,
Bedros