“Don’t wrestle with Pigs. You will both get very dirty. Trouble is, the Pig will enjoy it”
-Charlie Munger
I think Charlie Munger said the above quote, or something similar to it. But regardless of who said it, it’s very true. Don’t wrestle with pigs.
In the business world, I refer to the Pigs as the idiots. And my recommendation on today’s Pieces of Me post is to never do business with the idiots. Never, ever, ever, deal with the idiots.
We all know who the idiots are. They’re the ones who don’t call you back, they’re the ones who don’t show up on time, they’re the ones who lie to your face, they’re the ones who try and get you to do 5 hours worth of work for $20, they’re the ones who tie you up on 45 minutes phone calls about nothing, they’re the ones who talk behind your back, they’re the ones who send rambling, incoherent emails you can’t understand, and on and on and on. You KNOW who I’m talking about. And my advice is to never do business with these people.
I have no patience for the idiots. I don’t deal with them, and as soon as I catch a whiff of that rancid, idiot smell I cut off the relationship immediately and cease all communications with the person. But I wasn’t always this way. I wasn’t always this strong. In the past, when my freelancing business was less established and secure, I took on all the work I could get, including work from the idiots. I was tempted by the money and (what seemed like) opportunity. And you will be tempted too. You will think, he’s not that bad… I could really use the money… I’ll get in and out and get the job done quickly. The temptation to deal with the idiots when you’re starting out your freelance business is strong. It’s really strong. And it might be too much to overcome. It was for me. But you always need to try your hardest to not give into the temptation and not deal with the idiots. Prepare yourself before you go into business. Repeat the mantra every day.
I WILL NOT DEAL WITH IDIOTS.
I WILL NOT DEAL WITH IDIOTS.
I WILL NOT DEAL WITH IDIOTS.
You may say, what’s the problem? Why shouldn’t I work with idiots? I want their money, they want my services, end of story. But dude, man, bro, I’m telling you – it’s never the end of the story with these people. They are absolute leaches. They thrive on your failure. Maybe not at the surface, but something deep within them feeds on your failure. They get off on it. It energizes them.
These idiots, these leaches, it never ends with them. There are always costs you can’t foresee with these people. No matter how enticing their money looks, do not get in bed with these people. No matter what, there will always be unforeseen costs with these people. And those unforeseen costs will cause you to lose money, time, and your life. Literally, these idiots will shorten your life. The stress and anguish these people cause will literally shorten your life. You will die sooner than you would have if you deal with these people. The stress and unpleasantness will shave days, months, and even years off your life. I’m not joking. These idiots are deadly, and you have to avoid them at all costs.
We all know who these idiots are. All of us can spot them. Some of us are great at knowing who the idiots are, some of us are okay at it, and some of us need improvement. I happen to be excellent at figuring out who the idiots are before I get involved with them. How am I so good at this? I listen to my gut. That’s it. I listen to my gut, and I seriously tune in and make a conscious effort to see what my body feels like when I’m talking to a person. I focus on the feeling in my stomach. I feel the pressure in my chest. I notice the tightness of my throat. I feel the disgust start building in my head. And I start to smell the swine coming through the air. Anyone can do this. It’s not difficult to develop your gut feeling, but it takes work, consistent training, experience, and most important of all, a conscious effort to focus on your gut feeling and listen to your body.
Trust me, don’t deal with the idiots. The price you pay isn’t worth any amount of money. When you find yourself involved in any capacity with an idiot, immediately end the relationship in a professional and respectful way, and move on and do business with decent people.
