I've come to the realization that there's an important life lesson that I have to learn. And the sooner the better.
I can no longer don a vigilante hat and try to expose people as the frauds they are. It gets me nowhere because once the seed is planted, no one listens. And I become the bad guy.
There are some people in this world that live an existence that lacks. They feel that by telling what they deem "little white lies", it puffs them up, makes they seem more accomplished and talented than they really are, thereby making them successful. And you know what the sad and scary thing is? It works.
I am an extremely honest person. Yes, probably to a fault. But one thing I would never ever do is to try to make myself out to be more than I am professionally. What these frauds don't realize is that EVERYTHING is verifiable. Whether it'd be by a quick Google search and a couple of calls to some fake companies, or by a nifty little $250 or so thing called a background check. No, not one of these lightweight ones done by these internet sites. I'm talking hardcore and complete PI stuff.
They don't get that when you say you've done this professionally, or have won that award, there are people out there, yes, like me, who have a taste for blood...aka the truth. Going a step deeper and bringing in some psychology here, you can tell the Achilles heels of these individuals. So when they say something like a college degree doesn't matter when starting/running a business (and believe me, they ain't no Bill Gates with a magic garage), this, regardless of whether it's true in the "real world" or not, is something that makes this person self-conscious. Or how about one I've run into a few times, "No I haven't won any awards/accolades for my work. I don't believe in them, anyway. It's not a true testament to talent." No, maybe they aren't. But they don't hurt to let others know that you DO have at least 1 talented bone in your body.
But then it gets to a point where these awards and accolades are fudged a little. "Yes, my work has been featured in the NY Times." When in fact, it was featured in a low budget, little known subsidiary of the NYT. An outright lie? No, not really. Something that is false and misleading? Definitely. But is it something that if you call this person out on it, will it matter to those that work with them or hire them? Probably not.
And therein lies my problem.
I don't think these people deserve to succeed in what they do because they got there by purposely misleading people into thinking they are something they are not, and can never be. Frankly speaking, I think it's a lack of true talent and any marketable skill. Sometimes they have to ride on the backs of those with true talents and skills just to survive. Sad, sad, sad. For all of those who are involved. They have drank the Koolaid and once that's done, there's no turning back. It is not my job to expose them, nor do they owe me any explanation for their behavior. Live and let live.
I have to give up my quest to expose the frauds of the world. I have to stop getting myself worked up when people call themselves "experts" and "coaches" and "speakers". BTW, a note to those people, having the ability to talk doesn't qualify you to be a speaker and coaching your home-schooled kids' Little League team does not qualify you to be a coach and have the "power to show me how to make big money working from home."
I have to give it up to Karma because I know, somewhere deep down in the chasm called my being, that they will get theirs and it's not my place to ensure it's in this lifetime. Where I can enjoy it. After all... carrying around that hope would REALLY piss of the karma gods.
I will carry on. I will continue to do my best at bettering myself professionally and accept the fact that I may never get to the level of professional success they have achieved. Am I jealous? Maybe a little. But believe it or not, I think I'm jealous of the fact that I don't have it in me to live a made up life without an ounce of guilt!
Maybe it was my Catholic school education. Including a degree from a Catholic university. Apples to apples, love, I would smoke you with my intelligence. I don't have the smooth operator voice and approach, but me and you, in a room, when all we can bring to the table is honesty, you'd crumble under the weight of your lies. Someday, maybe.
