akaisha said:
Well I would say "Aren't we feeling high and mighty?" but considering you've basically already said that I can't say I have to much to say. I think allot of people place themselves in higher regards to others even if it is unintentional. With what you are saying I think it is intentional and you take pride in this fact. That alone bugs me, though I'm not one to govern another's life or pass major judgement, I can assure you its no way to get about in life.. though in this world it certainly seems to be.
With that said I have to say either way I admire the fact you wouldn't lower yourself to the level of who is "beneath" you, even in my times of feeling power I can't say I refuse to lower myself, I will lower and raise myself as is needed, but all in all I can't say I conciously think of who is lower and who is higher, after all that arrogance itself is lowering and degrading to one's image. So I must say if you conciously think, or even if you don't, find yourself a better being then those around you on an average basis you are the lowest of the low, and I don't mean any offense to that, its my views on just about every human because every human does it. But I do admire those who say it. But I have a feeling I'm seeing this the wrong way, I feel your meaning by what you said is not really how I'm taking it, and all in all I'm wrong(in a way). If this is such, if you would please explain.
Let me explain something to you, and I'd PM it, but I think this is a good opportunity for the regulars here whom know how I can be, to understand why I am like this.
I do think I'm better than most people. I think I'm incredibly important to if no one else, myself, and because of this, I am content with how my life is. I wasnt always like this,and actually had to learn it.
10 years ago, I was in my first band without the guidance of my family, whom are all minstrals. We all work playing music, and we do it rather well. Anyway, this band I started, was my attempt at making my own way, without my family helping me.
So I got some friends together, got a good agent, and booked some fun gigs. Then we got to recording our music, and pitching it to would-be labels.
I actually used to be very cheery, chipper, and empathetic towards others. But that only made me and my band an easy target for mutilation.
We spent 2 years going through incredibly bad times with A&R dickheads, 'producers', and managers that were only concerned in raping us for what we could give them.
After a while of that, you do one of two things; give up and succumb, or form tough skin, and fight.
I went through a lot of changes. Eventually, I came to one conclusion. I am far too important to be raped by the victimizers of the industry. So because of this mindset, I developed a holier than thou attitude, and really pushed my way into where I am now.
I learned that if you are going to succeed, you have to be more than just strong willed. You have to be tenacious. You have to be carnivorous. You have to be brutally ambitious, and psychotically intense. You have to be willingly able to destroy, and or, be destroyed. And my way of balancing out all these neurosis of success, was to develope a sick sense of elitism mixed with an unhealthy dose of apathy *in order to cope with the failures that come my way, and the people that react negatively to my elistist personality*.
Now, I'm managing my own recording label, working in 3 bands, working as a board of directors for a promotional group building a festival for next year, and I'm tackling the stock market, thereby building fundings to secure my retirement in the future.
I owe all the success I have, in my experiences, and my ways in that I developed into the shrewd, unforgiving businessperson that I am.
Now you go ahead and assure me that thinking the way I do, is no way to live life. But if I didnt live it this way, I would have been dead at 16, literally, and metaphorically.
And no offense outright, but this goes out anyone who wants to succeed in any form of business. If you dont adopt a similar mindset, dont ever expect to be worth anything other than a commoner. And even if you do achieve some form of success, without developing the said characteristics, expect your business to be swallowed up by a fellow businessowner who thinks the way I do.