Working Smarter Not Harder.

Sure, we've all heard that before, but how many of us do it?

I do.

But I promise you, working smarter than others and not as hard as others... Well, that shit comes at a hefty price.



The first being that others will think that you feel you are "Smarter than them" or "High and Mighty".  Not true, but... cool.  I'll take that.


The second, you'll be labeled "Arrogant" or "conceited, lordly, assuming, proud, swaggering, pompous, pretentious, stuck up, cocky, contemptuous, overbearing, haughty, egotistical, self-important, presumptuous, insolent, immodest and uppish" or simply a "Dick".

Been there too.  But, hey, that was a long time ago.  I look back on those days and those things as growing pains.  Back then all I had was crazy ideas and everything was possible!

Today, I'm exactly the same.  Only today, I have the "Balls" to be me.  Today, I back my crazy ideas with love, experiences, truths, family, friends, losses, successes and the uncanny power of Keeping my cool.



The third thing, too me the worst, is that you will be called "Lucky".  Being "Lucky" just diminishes all the "Smart" work you've done...  And guess who's going to call you that?  Yep.  All the people who you just out smarted.  Funny thing is, if you don't want to truly be the first or second things above... you gotta take it.

You have to say, "I sure was "Lucky!"".  Even though you know, there is no such thing as a "Lucky" Villain or Rogue.  Unless of course that happens to be the V+R's name.

"Smarter not Harder" comes down to this.  Not my words.  The words of a man, far smarter than I. 

Take what Mr. Jobs said and apply it to your world, to your life, to your thought process about everything.  I mean everything.  You'll find that you'll stop waisting time.  You'll stop having things like negativity.  Hell, you may even take an unscheduled "Working" vacation or two... Why?  Because you can!

(Yes, Hawaii was great!! Thanks for asking!)

A Hustler told me a long time ago... He said, "Son, it don't matter where ya go... There ya are."  

30 years and massive leaps in technology later, I got it!  

We can do anything from anywhere at anytime so long as we are smart enough to learn how.  We can build or move anything from here to anywhere, so long as we are smart enough to learn how.  We can communicate with anyone... anything.  So long as we are smart enough to learn other ways of communication.  

The key words are "Smart" and "Learn".   To be as smart as possible, you have to learn as much as possible.  Let yourself be taught, keep your mind open to all possibilities and if you don't want to be thought ill of, and called shit behind your back... share.  

Share what you learn.  Teach and let yourself be taught.  Share what you learn.

The ability to work "Smarter not Harder" will come with time, knowledge, and understanding of what's important in the moment... oh, and the Balls to know the difference.

Having Balls.

That’s right, I said it.… Balls. 

And yes, women have balls too.  So when I say having Balls, it goes for everyone. Balls is no more, no less than a very strong, emotional energy within, that only YOU, have the power to control.  This energy can be emitted from or suppress in, your body.  And like any other source of energy, Balls have to be controlled.

Balls is what join and separate everything… Allow me to explain Balls as seen through the eyes of the Villain and Rogue.

Firstly.  Balls is not stepping up and spouting off.  At times it can be, but to a Villain, a Rogue, that’s just a simple lack of self-control and not sexy at all.  As I said earlier Balls is a strong, emotional energy.  Now imagine that you learned how to focus that emotional energy.  Let me just tell you Good Ball Control is priceless… and very, very sexy.

Your Balls usually show when it's time to step: 

1. Step up. This one is the easiest.  You simply have to have Balls to move ahead in life.  
2. Step aside.  This one is not as easy.  Having the Balls to step aside takes practice.  Look at it this way, when you see someone coming at you hard, I mean Balls out.  The best thing to do is step aside and let them pass.  Most people who go Balls out are not in control. Which is often not good for whomever is in the way.
3. Step back.  The Balls to step back unfortunately is often preceded by an emotional downer.  Having the Balls to step back means that you have to take the high road in whatever the situation may be.
4. Step away.  This one is the toughest and takes more Balls than you will use to step up.  See, stepping away has to be done sometimes.  Say you've stuck with something, someone, some place too long.  Physically and emotionally you are connected to it but you know this thing is no longer good for you.  There's no growth potential. There's no return on your investment.  You have to have Brass Balls to truly step away from something negative that you are bound to. You have to have the Balls to leave, you also have to have the Balls to start over.  Unfortunately, most people don't have Brass Balls.  Most people will stay in a messed up place and try to fix what's broken.  

(Villains & Rogues #149 : Once it's broken… it's broken.   Even if you fix it. It's still broken)

How you use your Balls will determine everything you do, every step you take and of course the outcome of everything.  Uncontrolled Ball Emission (UBE) is bad. It's a waste of time and energy, a loss of growth and power, it's "Punking" yourself.  We've all done it.  The goal is to never do it again.

Good Ball Control (GBC) means you’ll be seen as professional and a master of self. The only thing that can make Good Ball Control spin out is the Ego… And that’s a big deal.  The Ego is a motherfucker to deal with.  The Ego is a child, a three and a half year old, screaming and kicking.  The Ego wants what it wants, period.  It wasn’t until I had children myself, that I truly understood that.  You MUST control the Ego… If you're asking how, it’s likely because you don’t have kids. 

To control the Ego, you have to realize that it's your inner child.  You have to love it, nurture it, respect it, play with it and NOT let it run your life.  Every parent knows what I’m saying.  Once you have that in check… Trust it.  Let your Ego take control of your Balls.  

To be a real pro, keep your Balls in check.  After all, no one truly wants to see your ______ Balls.  (Every joke you are making right now really does apply.)  More important, you really don't want to show your ______ Balls to everyone anyway.  That just takes you all the way back to having no self-control, thereby, having no Balls. (Therein lies the rub…) 

You control your Ego, your Ego controls your Balls.  You win.  

The equation goes like this.  Balls = You over your Ego.

You’ll be impressed when you see how fast you rise to any occasion, how fast you climb any ladder and how many people will help you… because they believe that whatever it is… you’ve got the Balls to do it.

All that said, Balls is still just a part of the picture.  It's a good sized part but still not the whole picture.  Next time I'll take a look at working "Smarter" not "Harder".  Which requires having the Balls... to know the difference.


Boss
Villains and Rogues

Keeping your cool... as best as possible anyway.

Every now and again, it's going to happen.  You run into that person who (for whatever reason) thinks the backwards ass opinion they hold, is the truth of all truths and way the world should be.  Even worse, this person feels the need to drill (said backwards ass opinion) into your head.


Long story short... I ran into this person last night.

The whole story is simply not worth repeating, doing so would only breathe new life into this man's meaningless.  I will say this, he did sincerely insult very dear and innocent friends of ours and their children.  Which is out of bounds, regardless what game you play.


It began with a simple bad joke, which for some reason, this person felt the need to explain (already the wrong thing to do). His explanation only made things worse and raised the tempers of most everyone in the room.  After several minutes and several people yelling at him to shut the fuck up, he stood up aggressively and yelled "I'm a man!" To which I replied, "No, you're a fucking idiot."

Things could have and maybe should have escalated from there... If I were and idiot too.  But I kept my cool, as any good Villain or Rogue would. 
(see: Bad Man101)

Imagine what we have to lose by losing our cool...

And for what?  Some self righteous shit, who's name does not matter, a lost soul whose mere proximity brings unwanted weight upon your life, an anchor, just waiting to bring you down.

No, the Idiot was just a test.  A simple one at that.  Here's how you pass the test:

Know the value of your life.
Know the value of your work.
Realize the amount of time and energy it took for you to rise to this level.  
Realize the number of good people who depend on you.
Know that you love and are loved.
Don't back down, but don't push the situation. 
Look the antagonist in the eye and point your index finger at the door. (Say nothing.)

No matter how much they yell or how much hell they raise... Never strike them.

Keep your cool... as best as possible anyway.  

Simply give an idiot enough rope... They will, eventually, hang themselves.

Idiots think they are better than others.  The truth is that we are all the same.  It's our integrity, our values, our true self-worth and our faith in mankind mixed with those who share the same ideals and ethics and values that make us, the people of all ethnicities,  religions, geographical locales, and of all sexes and ages... Great.  Together, we can accomplish anything.

Lastly, this man considered himself right and heroic...

He made me proud to consider myself a Villain and a Rogue.

- Boss

The world needs Villains & Rogues...

Although the Heroes and Good Guys appear to do all the hard work, 

it’s the Villains and Rogues who give them the work to do in the first place.

Imagine Star Wars without Darth Vader? 

The Villains & Rogues rap sheet:

Powerful

Villains and Rogues are powerful... Discipline, Focus and Conditioning are among the reasons why. 

Intelligence

Effective Villains and Rogues are intelligent.  This does not necessarily mean that they are intellectually gifted.  Rather, it means that they plan more to avoid making bad decisions.

Morals

True Villains and Rogues are not immoral...  There's no lack of a sense of right or wrong.  On the contrary, Villains and Rogues subscribe to a moral code.  There is truly "Honor among thieves." But they are willing to violate the accepted moral principles of others. Essentially, your rules and my rules don't have to be the same rules...

Determined

What separates the great Villains and Rogues from the common thieves and ramdon thugs?  Determination.  A unstoppable drive to achieve the goal.

Traits you will find in Villains and Rouges:

Evoking Admiration

A Worthy Opponent

A Magnificent Bastard

One You Love to Hate

Bravery against All Odds

Villainous Valor 

Friendly to Enemy

Good Intentions

A Non-Malicious Beast

Ends Justify the Means

A Sense of Humor

Cultured 

Never Hurt an Innocent

Nobility

Villains and Rogues have Standards too.

- Boss