How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life(60)

Years ago, I created a manifesto that outlined all the values I wanted to practice in my life. I wrote down a list of phrases, rules, and examples I wanted to live by. The list included complicated ideas that I was just beginning to understand, as well as simpler concepts that I believed were common sense. No matter how basic or how complex the value was, it went on the list. I kept adding to the list every time I thought of something new. It was like my private checklist for being a good human. Examples:



??Even if someone else is talking ill about someone, don’t join in.

??Stop interrupting people and give them a chance to speak.

??Your parents were patient with you when you were younger, so be patient with them now that they’re older.



Reviewing this list from time to time has been really helpful, especially during those moments when I’ve felt like I was losing myself. I would read over the guidelines and remind myself of the person I wanted to be. It was added work, but by now you should be well aware that being a Bawse isn’t easy. If you want to be a lawyer, you go to law school. If you want to be a singer, you take singing classes. If you want to be a good person with strong values, you work at it. Everything takes effort.





RECITE


I’m confident that every person on the planet who has graduated from the eighth grade knows two things: (1) when you don’t have your hand up, the teacher will call on you anyway, and (2) the mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. I have literally forgotten everything else I learned in school (I think there was a dude named Freud or something, but I’m not sure; it could have been Fred) except for the mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell. Why? Because it was drilled into my brain. In every textbook, regardless of the grade, the mitochondria were explained in the exact same way every time. I read it on the chalkboard, wrote it on tests, and said it in presentations. We should treat our values the same way we treat the mitochondria: we must ensure that we never forget what they mean. How? Study them.

Now that you’ve created a manifesto, you should read it once a week. Recite your values to yourself throughout the day. Doodle your values on the front of your binder. When you’re upset, take a moment and visualize your manifesto. Remember who you want to be. When I need a reminder, I will often sit down somewhere alone, light a candle, close my eyes, and recite my values to myself. I want my value system to dictate my actions, and therefore it’s important that I know this system well.

At the end of the day, having strong values is optional, not mandatory. There are many people out there who do not have strong values, and their beliefs change more times than a Transformer. But you, you’re a Bawse, and when you believe something, it doesn’t matter if it’s sunny or stormy outside—you act in accordance with what you believe. Not only do strong values make you a more trustworthy and reliable person, but they help build your self-control.

Remember all those pointless math problems you had to solve in math class? Well, unlike those, figuring out your values actually matters. You’re not trying to solve for the value of x or y; instead, you’re trying to solve for a meaningful life.

Let your values be the powerhouse of the cell. Ha! Take that, mitochondria.




Start Your Manifesto

List three values/qualities that you hold dear to your heart and that define the type of person you want to be.





WORK HARD AND BE NICE to people. That’s my answer when people ask me what I think the keys to success are. When people hear “work hard,” they usually respond with a solid head nod because obviously that makes sense. But when they hear “be nice to people,” they tend to tune me out. Is being nice really necessary when it comes to success? Does it even make a difference? After all, the world isn’t made up of fairies and pixie dust; it’s made up of cold hard facts. Successful people are the ones who are talented, work hard, and get things done.

Well, first of all, the world has a high percentage of fairies and pixie dust, so watch your language. And second of all, if you want to talk about cold hard facts, let me give you three reasons why it’s essential to be nice to people if you want to be a successful person.

“NOT BEING NICE IS LIKE POISONING YOURSELF WITH BAD VIBES.



I CAN ASSURE YOU that every successful person you idolize has a team working behind them that they communicate with on a daily basis. Teamwork is a major ingredient in the recipe for success. Each member of the team recognizes that something larger than them is being created and that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. You might be thinking, “I don’t have a team, so this advice doesn’t apply to me.” But I want to remind you that you are a part of the human race, and humanity is the biggest and most important team you’ll ever be on. When you start being an awesome member of Team Humanity, it’ll help you be an awesome member of Team You. It’s almost as though helping out Team Humanity by being nice is training for all other teams in your life. Also, minor detail, but if everyone on the planet is horrible and we all end up killing each other, you won’t get the chance to become successful because you’ll be dead. So there’s that.



SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE understand the importance of positivity. They know that their ideas will be rejected, things will go wrong, and mistakes will be made, no matter what, and they still need to maintain a positive outlook. Have you ever met a mean person who was positive? I haven’t. That’s because people who aren’t nice exude negative energy. When you’re nice to people, you take control of the energy surrounding you. You are creating a positive environment that will help you be successful (and happy). Not being nice is like poisoning yourself with bad vibes.