I know it's not nice to say that some people are losers. But that doesn't
mean it isn't true. Awhile back I wrote an article on this
topic. Now, I'd like to put together this simple test that if someone I know
or work with blatantly shows these signs I can just print it out, highlight and
hand it to them.
Are you a loser?
- Do you leave a given situation worse than you found it? For
instance, if you borrow something do you bring it back damaged? Loan a loser a
car and it'll come back with a stain on it. Loan them a took and it'll come back
damaged or broken. Let them stay at your place and they'll leave it a mess.
- Do you exploit the good will of others? Do you find
yourself betraying the trust others put in you? Do people describe you as
inconsiderate? Are you the guy at the office who eats the majority of
"community" food? Are you the guy who leaves dirty dishes for your roommates or
coworkers to clean up after you?
- Do you make pathetic excuses for routine failings? Nothing
says loser than the guy who acts like they are the only person in the world that
has a life to deal with. Are you the guy who is late for work regularly and uses
excuses ranging from "train" to "traffic" to other lame things? What makes you a
loser in this case is the obliviousness that everyone faces issues in life but
still manages to get things done.
- Do you have no sense of delayed gratification? A loser not
only doesn't have any money, but will rationalize spending money they don't have
because they gotta have stuff "now". Sure you're going to be a bonus or a raise
at work? Then hey why not buy that new gadget right this second even though you
haven't gotten the job, bonus or raise yet right? That's what losers do. Losers
almost never save or invest because they need all kinds of shiny crap
now.
- Do you see yourself as just having bad luck or a victim of
circumstance? A loser always sees themselves as a victim. All the bad
things that happen to them are someone else's fault. Losers think their boss
"has it out for them" or they couldn't have known their interest rate might go
up on their adjustable rate mortgage or still can't believe that they got
evicted for not paying their rent – didn't the landlord realize that they've
been having a tough time?
- Do you think people who are doing better than you are just
lucky? Losers seem to assume that rich people just inherited it or
stole their money. Losers are just "too damn principled" to "play dirty" to be
successful or "just weren't born with silver spoons in their mouths". When a
loser sees someone who is doing better they think those people are doing better
either because of luck or because they were dishonest.
- Do you worry about "Fairness"? Losers think there should be
some sort of objective "fairness" in life. You can spot a loser because they
will whine about something not being "fair". Life ain't fair.
- Do you have a loser work ethic? A loser's work ethic
functions as follows: If they think they are underpaid, they will simply work
fewer hours and screw off more. They will rationalize that they should really be
making X (where X is almost always 25% more than they already make – they've
done studies on this). Therefore, they'll figure they really only should put in
30 hours of work and will mess around the other 10. Losers don't realize that
they are simply sabotaging their futures with such a stupid, unproductive
strategy.