Last night I read a very interesting article, perhaps one of the best I read in a long time. The article is very long, but it was recommended by people I trust, so I decided to give it a shot.
If you have the time, definitely read the original: Stuck In The Middle With Bruce.
Here’s a quick summary for those who don’t have the time.
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Bruce is an individual who likes to lose. He’s a born loser. It doesn’t matter what he’s doing, he’ll find a way to screw everything. It’s not like he likes to lose though, it’s just part of his personality.
Bruce is just a metaphor, each of us has a Bruce inside. Think about it.
Quoting from the article:
- Did you ever not study for an important test in high school or college and get a big fat F?
- Did you ever spend too much money on crap (such as even more Magic cards) when you had bills to pay?
- Did you ever cheat on your significant other?
- Did you ever stay out late and then go to work dragging ass?
- Have you ever played the lottery?
- Have you ever loaned money to someone you knew wouldn’t pay it back?
- Have you ever had casual sex without protection?
We could go on forever. The reality is that Bruce is part of our instinct and we have to deal with him. It’s probably the result of hearing the word “no” over and over again in our childhood, or perhaps its roots are deeper. Bruce is the part of our personality that prevents you from winning.
Learning how to deal with Bruce is by definition the secret of success. In a world without Bruce, you wouldn’t win all the times of course, but your chances would be higher, a lot higher. It would basically be difficult to lose if you had the commitment to win all the times.
So how do you deal with Bruce? That’s something you have to discover by yourself, but as a starting point it’s important to raise your consciousness about it. Whenever you feel like you’ve done something stupid or you’re about to make a stupid decision, think about Bruce, and ask yourself why you’re acting that way. Think deeply about it. And then a bit more.