52 WEEKS
Week 2— How Not to be Screwed
It sucks to get ripped off.
But it’s usually our own fault.
Remember, no one can be screwed unless they are in a position to be screwed.
It’s physically impossible!
And if we DO get screwed, ask yourself, what did I do wrong?
Don’t just blame the other person, even if they took advantage of you.
Because if we don’t own it, we’re not gonna fix it.
It’s just gonna keep happening to us again and again and again.
Ask yourself… did I trust the wrong person?
Do I always trust the wrong person?
Did I not protect myself?
What can I do different next time, so this doesn’t happen to me again?
And, above all, watch out for situations where bad for you… is good for someone else.
That’s just asking for trouble!
Let’s say your car breaks down and you have to take it to an auto mechanic.
That is a classic ‘bad for me is good for them’ situation.
Maybe there’s a knocking under your hood? And the mechanic opens the hood, and looks inside.
What YOU want is for him to say, “That knocking sound? It’s just a golf ball. No charge!”
What HE wants is to see serious engine damage. Because Christmas is coming early this year!
Now, which result do you think he’s going to err on the side of?
But even when we find ourselves in a “bad for me is good for them” situation (and they will happen) knowing that can help us take better and faster action.
If we don’t like our quote, and we don’t have a history with the person, get another quote.
Do some quick research. Lots of people are making $15/hr. at work, but they won’t spend half an hour making a few phone calls, to maybe save $50/$100? I mean, do the math.
If it pays better than our job, it’s time well spent.
What we don’t want to do is wait until some guy we don’t know is looking under our hood, and we’re sitting there crossing our fingers like a helpless, little wuss.
Because at that point… we’re already screwed!
And none of this is about cars.
It’s about being prepared.
It’s about setting things up in advance, so if and when things go wrong, we’re ready for it.
If we’re younger, it means developing a skill, or getting a degree, or quality job experience. Something! So we’re not at everyone’s mercy our whole life.
It’s about communication and understanding. How many times have we gotten screwed over because of MIS-communication or MIS-understanding?
We have to communicate our needs, clearly and concisely, so there’s NO misunderstanding.
This is what I want. And this is what I expect.
It’s hard to take advantage of someone who won’t be taken advantage of.
But mostly, it’s about looking out for yourself, always.
You may not want to “look out for Number One”… but you don’t have a choice.
It’s your JOB. And you need to do that job every day.
Otherwise, you’re just screwing yourself.
AFTERTHOUGHT
— Some people never protect themselves, and are constantly being ripped off or taken advantage of. I hate to say it, but if we go through life bending over and assuming the position… we shouldn’t complain later that our butt hurts.