I recall a series of conversations I had with a certain friend a few years ago. It was about the games he’d play with people, particularly women. He talked about how to build up a certain image, how to use smoke and mirrors to make a particular impression on others. A lot of women came and went with him, and I think I felt pissed. No, not because I stand for the best interest of women or because I was jealous. I just thought it was pathetic, and it looked to me like he had to hide behind artificial curtains to make people like him. I was really skeptical. I’ve had my share of people tell me that I come off cocky, but up to that point I had rarely attempted to make people believe that I was anything more or less than exactly what I was at that moment. That’s changed, and I kind of want to turn things back.
Over the last few years, I think I’ve bought into the smoke and mirrors state of mind, mostly because you see that it brings the quickest results. First impressions are shallow, but they matter…a lot. You go to a bar dressed like a bum and you aren’t getting served well. We live in a world that encourages people to be a certain way. Elegant, classy, and flashy at the same time.
I chase the same things that I used to: love, happiness, friendship, power, wealth, but my means of obtaining these things have changed so drastically. I noted during my sophomore year of college that intermediate level sports are dominated by players that employ a lot of flash. And1 ballers, trick shot tennis players, gimmicky Shodan kendo fighters that use a lot of fake outs. The bottom line I saw was that flash gets you to “good” but you hit a limit. If you want to truly become someone spectacular, you need to work on the basics. Work on the fundamentals. How’s that relate to what I’m talking about? I think deep down I’ve known that buying into flash is a waste of time. Get that suit, get that hat, work those abs, spit that game, spend that cash. It all seems so trivial. I need to go back to basics and focus on the things that will make me a person that’s worth knowing.
