How To Embrace Your Inner Bad Guy
Table of Contents
Have you ever felt like you’re always playing the good guy but never quite getting ahead? Sometimes, embracing your inner bad guy might be the shake-up you need. No, I’m not saying go rogue, but taking a page from the villain’s playbook can give you the edge in life. This post will show you how to harness that inner bad guy’s confidence, strategic thinking, and assertiveness to level up your personal and professional life. Let’s dive in and find your inner anti-hero!
Key Takeaways
Confidence is Key: Learn to trust your instincts and believe in your decisions.
Strategic Thinking: Plan your moves carefully, just like a master strategist.
Assertiveness: Stand your ground and don’t shy away from taking charge.
Balance: Embrace these traits while maintaining your core values and integrity.
Application: Use these traits in both personal and professional scenarios for better outcomes.
Tony Montana
"You need people like me so you can point your fingers and say that's the bad guy. So whats that make you? Good? You're not good. You just know how to hide" Tony Montana (Al Pacino) - Scarface. A small section of society understands, accepts, and tries to capitalize on being viewed as the bad guy. They have dropped their morality and embraced self-interest. These are the most dangerous people in our society.
The downfall of those embracing their inner bad guy entirely is that they ultimately have no limits. Without limits, there is no balance. Balance is not only required for sustained success, but it's required for longevity and survival.
Everyone Thinks They’re the Good Guy
Psychology Today quotes Roy Baumeister's book Evil - Inside Human Violence and Cruelty - "It's always a false image that is imposed or projected on the opponent." During almost every disagreement, each side thinks they are correct and the other is wrong. It can even go a step further in thinking; your side is good while the other is bad.
During the presidential election in 2016, we saw how confident Biden and Trump were in thinking they were the good guy or the correct choice for Americans. Every political race, including primaries within the same party, portrays both sides as the best choice or the party with correct fundamental beliefs. Again, the downfall of this sentiment is the need for balance.
Demar Hamlin Injury
A couple of weeks ago, Buffalo Bills player Demar Hamlin suffered a terrifying injury that required immediate CPR both on the field and at the hospital. Medical professionals were able to save Demars life. As the experience unfolded in front of a live audience on television, we witnessed how long it takes for the public to look for a bad guy in every situation.
The NFL has a remarkable history of making poor choices emphasizing how they could care less about transparency. It took a few minutes before Twitter erupted with finger-pointing about the NFL not canceling the game right away. I was still stunned and hadn't thought about the rest of the game. I was more concerned with Demar's life.
Demar was still lying on the field, being resuscitated, when a movement of people started tweeting about how evil the NFL is. On-air commentary by ESPN's Joe Buck and Troy Aikman stated the NFL gave players 5 minutes to warm up and restart the game. The NFL disputes this and says they never game 5 minutes of warm-up instruction. Regardless of who is correct, the situation requires a bad guy, and it took only minutes for that concept to surface.
There's A Bad Guy in Every Situation
If we can identify the bad guy in a situation, we won't have to admit to the inner bad guy we may have inside of us. Most of us are afraid of letting others know about that side of ourselves.
Our brains, spirits, and civilization require a bad guy of some kind in every situation. Life requires grit and strength. Sometimes life needs a power that comes more from the bad guy part of our character than the nice guy side. Success is about finding the balance between the two.
Tapping Into Your Inner Bad Guy Can Be Dangerous
There's euphoria when you win a disagreement or succeed in a challenging situation. Everyone likes to be correct. My wife and I bicker back and forth in a playful way about who is right. Being right about something sends a drug like dopamine hit rushing inside our brains.
We have to remember balance is the key to success in life. You are tapping into your inner bad guy when necessary and it can be advantageous at times as long as it's kept in check. To keep him in check, you must have a solid moral foundation.
Using your inner bad guy can get out of control and compromise your moral foundation if you let it.
Use It Only When You Need It
Recently I found out my Mom was being taken advantage of. She owns a long-term rental home. My Mom reached out to me recently about how she should handle a situation with the tenant of this home. Long story short, this tenant realized my senior citizen Mom has a huge heart and is very trusting.
Many people have entirely buried their bad inner side to the point where it never gets used or exercised. These people are vulnerable to an evil world's aggressive selfishness. It's the job of the strong to shield these people with such huge hearts because they will sacrifice almost everything for a stranger who may have malicious intent.
This tenant of my Mom's rental property owes my Mom a lot of money. There's a new excuse every other month lasting years about why they can't pay their rent. The tricky part of this concept is that people with a lack of morality and honor try to hide behind sympathy for life's unfair circumstances.
I know my Mom doesn't want to accuse anyone of malicious intent, so I will do it for her. I will evict, sue the tenant, and rerent the home to put my Mom's retirement plan back into a favorable position. The tenant is gaining value at the expense of my Mom. That's unacceptable. This one is hard because I'm passionately connected to the situation. Part of my inner bad guy involves anger, so I have to be careful not to let my rage override my moral compass.
The Reason We Need Our Inner Bad Guy
As I step into the situation to help my Mom, I will face excuses and accusations. This tenant, who owes my Mom so much money, still dares to call my mom and demand repairs when something breaks. My Mom is such a good person that she addresses any issues. She has the repairs completed at her own expense.
In a perfect world, we could all easily help those that needed it and help them back onto their feet. In the real world, people lie about their situations to gain unearned value at someone else's expense. Whenever you see a homeless person asking for money, what's the question you ask yourself? This person may have had a string of horrible luck. A lot of poor decisions may have caused this person's bad luck. This person may be about to buy drugs with your donated charity. It's hard to say, and that's why so many people are hesitant to help those in need.
We need our inner bad guy to protect us from the selfishness of this world. We need our inner bad guy for strength. We need to use our inner bad guy to shield ourselves against those who seek to gain at our expense. We need our internal bad guy to prevent our families from being vulnerable to a cold world.
Keep It In Check
There's nothing wrong with using this side of yourself to help evict a tenant full of excuses. There's nothing wrong with using this side of yourself to protect your family. Every situation deserves its unique analysis and response. Ultimately we need to allow our morality to guide our decisions.
When a situation may benefit from the bold, strong, and strategic side of yourself, use your morality to decide when and how to implement this side of yourself.
Know When To Leverage Your Inner Bad Guy
First step to unleashing your inner bad guy is to know when to and when to not. You may find yourself in situations where you need to stand up for yourself or take control of a problem. In those moments your inner bad guy can be a powerful tool to get what you want and need. Just use it sparingly as there are consequences to being too aggressive or too assertive.
Use It
Confidence is key when you use your inner bad guy. Make sure you are confident in what you are saying and doing so others will take you seriously and respect your opinion. Being assertive means standing up for yourself while admiring the views of others – it’s a fine line that takes practice and time. Once you get comfortable being assertive you can use your inner bad guy without being aggressive or demanding.
The key is to learn to tap into our inner “bad guy” without letting it run our lives. That means knowing when to use this energy and how to use it responsibly so it benefits us not harms us. We also need to remember that using our inner bad guy may get us what we want in a situation but won’t necessarily lead to long term happiness or fulfillment.
Final Thought
At the end of the day, we all have an inner bad guy inside us – but that doesn't mean we should let him run rampant and ruin everything in his path. By harnessing his power responsibly and using him only when necessary – we can use our inner bad guys for good instead of evil! With practice and patience, anyone can learn to embrace their dark side while still being a good person. So don't be afraid – your bad side might be your best friend yet.
FAQ
Q1: How can embracing my inner bad guy help in my career? A1: Adopting confidence, strategic thinking, and assertiveness can help you take more calculated risks, stand out in your role, and navigate office politics more effectively.
Q2: Is embracing my inner bad guy about being unethical? A2: Absolutely not. It’s about adopting positive traits like confidence and strategic thinking while maintaining your integrity and ethical standards.
Q3: Can these traits help in personal relationships? A3: Yes, being more assertive and confident can improve communication and boundaries in personal relationships.
Q4: How do I balance being assertive without coming off as aggressive? A4: Focus on clear communication, empathy, and understanding. Assertiveness is about being firm yet respectful.
Q5: What are some practical steps to start embracing my inner bad guy? A5: Start by setting clear goals, making decisive plans, and practicing confidence in small steps, like voicing your opinions more often.