If you’ve ever been “F’d,” there’s a good chance you do!
Here are some of the symptoms:
YOUR DISTRUST IS MISPLACED. Your grandma calls, and you put her through a rigid identification process, asking things only she would know (good luck, she’s like 96).
AND YET, YOU HAVEN’T GOTTEN LIFELOCK. You’ve been burned many times, but somehow you refuse to go all-in on privacy protection. If you were the type of person to seal your life like a drum, you would never her GOTTEN ripped off.
YOUR BANK LEGIT TEXTS YOU ABOUT POTENTIAL FRAUD…AND YOU DON’T RESPOND BECAUSE YOU DON’T TRUST TEXTS. Naturally, when you finally speak to the bank, you approve the purchase in question, only to discover moments later than the vendor is a scammer.
YOU KNOW, LIKE, AND TRUST PEOPLE YOU’VE NEVER MET. They’ve got your number. But good luck getting theirs.
YOU WRITE A BOOK ABOUT ETHICS IN BUSINESS…only to be defrauded by someone you trusted to publish and market it (you can insert any ironic twist, but you get the idea).
Mostly, you are aware of the evil people do, But you are overwhelmed by the need to lock your front door every time you close it. You don’t want to live in such a s****y world.
You’re a “Dolphin in a Sharkskin Jacket,” as I discuss in my book, Selling the Truth: A ‘Semoir with Insights for Life and Business. And any time you take off the jacket to air your armpits, some jerkoff slips a straw into your pores and starts a’suckin’.
You are desperate to believe. You want reassurance that somehow good people are in the majority.
You’ve been so rattled by your bad experiences that you tend to despair rather than defend.
But let’s get one thing straight: to combat PFSD, you must take responsibility for your circumstances. Victimhood is not the answer. We really should never say, “I got f***ed.” Because even though those people shouldn’t have done what they did, it’s not their job to protect you. That’s your job. So you should really say, “I f***ed up.”
What’s the answer? Is there a cure?
I believe there is.
What is it that makes you:
- Tougher;
- Less Vulnerable;
- Patient;
- Emboldened;
- Thoughtful; and
- Appropriately Cynical?
CONFIDENCE.
Just as a con artist (confidence artist) succeeds in duping someone because they’ve won the trust of their mark, said mark can flip the script.
Bolster your self-confidence and you are less of a target.
Getting LifeLock or Guardia or IdentityIQ or IDshield is wise, but it doesn’t change who you are. And while that may protect you against future theft, it doesn’t cure PFSD.
In its most effective form, confidence is a byproduct of knowledge. Educate yourself. Instead of hiding from the truth, face it head on.
Yes, the world can be an ugly place. But roughly 50.5% of all people are decent*.
Don’t be shaken. Don’t give way to inconsistency. And when something smells funny… PAUSE. This is the time to hesitate. Patience is your friend.
And don’t be afraid to get f***ed. Instead, refuse to f***k up.
*I have no sources to back up these stats. Good catch!
- Feel free to book a Personal Brand Chat – let’s build out your voice and build up your confidence as the Thought Leader you are!
- Get your copy of Selling the Truth: A ‘Semoir’ with Insights for Life and Business.
- As always, learn more about me and my biz at https://yesbrandbuilders.com/.
