After you’ve read up on How to have an Amazing Day then you will undoubtedly come across people that will seek to destroy the amazingness that you’ve created. Here’s who they are and how to deal with them.
PRICKS : They’re Strangers, Peers, Friends, and Family
We all know who the Pricks are. Pricks feed off the destruction of positivity. Pricks have no Bubble of their own. Pricks are complainers, focusing on the negatives while spreading more negativity.
Pricks use other human beings as emotional garbage dumps to which they dispose of their own emotional waste. Pricks attempt to pop other peoples bubbles to receive an enjoyable but fleeting ping of satisfaction that can only momentarily distract them from the fact that they hate their own lives, and in turn, themselves.
MENTAL JIU-JITSU : A Game of Frames
Their frame is negativity. Your frame is positivity. The game is simple : Maintain your frame.
The goal is to never get sucked into their negative frame of mind. Here are 3 ways to deal with Pricks.
Contrast : The easiest way to make something seem not as bad is to compare it to something worse. Phrase of Choice : “Well at least it’s not as bad as…” fill in the blank.
Prick : “LA drivers are the worst. Some idiot cut me off this morning.”
Me : “Well at least they’re not as bad as ISIS.”
Even if they don’t see things your way the point is that you don’t see things their way, through a lens of negativity. Best used on peers, especially if they can’t take a joke.
Over-exaggeration : This one is fun. You take whatever they’re saying and blow up it to ridiculous proportions, all while holding an air of playfulness and jest. You basically troll them.
Prick : “LA drivers are the worst. Some idiot cut me off this morning.”
Me : “They are sooo the worst. They should be fined. No, jailed. No, hung by their necks. No, be skinned alive and turned into lampshades…”
Depending how absurd or grotesque you go you might actually get people to laugh. Best used on friends and family seeing as if they get offended in some way you can’t be fired for it.
Willful Ignorance : This is where you pretend like you didn’t even hear the negative remark and talk about whatever you would like to talk about.
Prick : “LA drivers are the worst. Some idiot cut me off this morning.”
Me : “Hey, did you watch Game of Thrones last night?”
So simple, yet so effective. Best used on strangers and peers.
GOOD LUCK : You’re Gonna Need It
The better you get at deflecting peoples negativity the easier dealing with negative people becomes.
Most of us aren’t taught how to proactively do this. We kind of just take the hits as they come with no rhyme or reason.
This is a wonderful skill to have in life and I hope it helps, especially because there will be no shortage of negative people in the near future. They are here to stay…
But at least they’re not as bad as the Nazis.
Or are they? They’re probably worse. A hybrid. Like if Hannibal Lecter, Darth Sidious, and Scar from The Lion King had a weird orgy and…
Actually, on a serious note I was thinking about trying a new tactic. It’s called Misery Olympics.
Prick : “LA drivers are the worst. Some idiot cut me off this morning.”
Me : “Yeah, well my cat Cletus was diagnosed with Stage 4 Cyrus Virus. Doctors said it came in like a wrecking ball and he only has 36 hours to live. On top of that I might be fined and prosecuted because apparently I didn’t get him a mandatory shot after I found him and now it could be considered animal neglect and abuse…
I’m sorry, you we’re saying something about LA drivers?…”