Winning by stealth

For all who know me know one of my pet hates are people who talk too much, overblowing their importance and going on ego trips, plastering Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media portals with their ostentatious lifestyles (- often fake!) looking for public validation.

Truth is nobody needs to know who you are unless you have a serious insecurity problem.

I’m a firm believer in the maxim of ‘you don’t have to tell the world how great you are, let the world tell you how great YOU are’. Sometimes it’s best to let your real achievements speak for you rather than your material possessions or made up achievements.

The world is full of people who claim to be who they’re not, the ‘fake-it-till-you-make-it’ gang, people like Elizabeth Howell, who would have you believe they are working hard on the next big thing or start-up only for everything to go pear- shaped before they hit the market.

Sadly, we live in a world where-by you have to flaunt it, often outrageously, on SM to show everybody you’ve ‘arrived’, you’re better than your peers and you are finally a ‘big boy/gal’.

So, if your part of the aforementioned gang the whole world will be following your life watching every step you make on SM (- the preferred show-offs-platforms!) from when you have breakfast in the morning to supper in the evening, when you buy a new car or a new house, to where you went on your last holiday: living your life in the public eye, like the Kardashians, will expose you to all sorts.

All of a sudden you put yourself into a situation where you always have to dance for your audience to impress them because you want to remain relevant. Word of advice here, not everybody will be happy with your success or impending success : those who have an Evil Eye will not take kindly to you ‘shinning’ while they wallow in mediocracy and will do everything to pull you down.

Also, if you’re in a competitive field where everybody is working on the same thing shooting your mouth off can result in you eroding your lead. For instance, Apple developed the smart screen iPhone in secret and surprised the world with it ONLY when it was ready: if others had known what they were doing they would have brought theirs to market sooner.

If you want to win by stealth it means working towards your goal in life quietly without anybody knowing what you’re doing, ‘cept those that can help or contribute towards your growth: the world will only know what you’ve been up to when the goal is attained. No more telling ‘labaja’ I’m this and I’m that, I have a ‘business-partner’ or I have a ‘project’ I’m working on. Its just talk and too much talk.

The secret to achieving this is simple: keep your head down, keep your mouth shut, work hard in secret and don’t seek public validation.

Accumulation of material possessions in an attempt to showoff, in my opinion, is not a barometer of one’s success. So what! You have two Rolls Royce parked in front of your house: you have two metallic-contraptions-on-wheels that are depleting in value by the day! Not a very wise investment from my point of view!

I’m a minimalist and live a simple life: I buy what I need and not necessarily what I want so you won’t see me on SM showing off my latest new house, car, holiday jaunts or how rich (-or poor) I am. You’re better off putting your money into stocks and shares that will earn you an everlasting residual income.

If you do things for show the public will always demand more and more and the minute you let them down will mean the end of you and you become a ‘has-been’, a subject of ridicule and derision or to quote an old Ebenezer Obey song ‘where are all the wealthy people of yester-years?’.

Keep it quiet and simple: it’s better to have an MA or PhD in something tangible than a million people following you on SM to show how popular you are or to have you living in a room and parlour than living a life of deceit or you’ve worked hard, made your money, eat three square meals a day and have a comfortable private life.

How many ‘Big Boys and Girls’ have been exposed for being into ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’,’ kidnapping’, cultism or paid ‘hook-ups’ because they’re trying too hard to keep up with the Jones’ and be seen and known as ‘Winners’.

Keep your head down, work hard, do your own thing and live your own life independent of what people might think or say about you is the secret to winning by stealth.