Too Much Skepticism Is a Deadly Virus That Will Destroy Your Happiness

Here's how to avoid the loser's game.

Photo by Ashkan Forouzani on Unsplash

If you want to ruin your life then become skeptical of everything.

A reader told me email lists don’t work anymore. Most people’s email inbox is too busy to ever read anything you write. So don’t bother, he said.

What a load of sh*t. This man wants to be a writer. He’s got good chops. He writes a lot. Yet, his skepticism is preventing him from ever having a writing career. Now he’s stuck at his dead-end job in a cubicle facing a brick wall because of it.

My entire business is a scam, apparently

I have an online education business. I teach people about writing, investing, and all the online tools that can help you build a side hustle. A lot of my content is free (like this Substack newsletter). Every now and then I offer a paid course.

Paid online courses really piss of skeptics. They call them a scam.

One university professor has targeted me hard over the last year. They think it’s unethical to write about a topic and then upsell a small percentage of the audience to a paid course for a few hundred dollars.

What a joke.

This guy puts students into 6-figures of debt for unproven education that doesn’t guarantee anybody a real-world job. Then he tells me I’m a schmuck for selling a course with a proven ROI that gets most students their money back quickly.

Online courses are better than university. They cost nothing and allow you to learn from people who have done the exact thing you want to learn. You can go hyper-niche with an online course as opposed to some broad business degree at college.

If you have a skill it’s okay to teach it for a small fee. Don’t let the skeptics talk you out of it. Your skills and experience have enormous value. That’s why platforms like Teachable exist.

If you write on Medium you’ll have heard this nonsense

I write on Medium dot com. I freaking love the platform. Its minimalist layout and ad-free experience are glorious.

Recently, Medium introduced a new revenue stream: referrals. Readers can read three free articles per month. After that they are given the option to purchase a membership. If it’s your story that leads them to buy a membership then you automatically get 50% of their monthly subscription for life.

Like OMG! That’s way too generous.

You can go further as a writer/reader and market your individual referral link to potential subscribers. Or you can use the magic of SEO to drive external traffic to your writing and then monetize those who become Medium members.

This is amazing opportunity. It has worked well for me.

But the Medium skeptics have rebelled against the platform. They’re skeptical that this model will work. They call referrals “network marketing” and “a pyramid scheme.” How dare we help Medium build its platform and get 50% of the upside.

It’s ridiculous when you think about it. Medium isn’t taking us hostage and forcing us to sell their memberships. They’re simply saying if you do then here’s a 50% cut as a thank you.

Some people are afraid to sell. Others are so skeptical that they reject free money.

There is nothing wrong with providing value and getting money for it. If you’re skeptical of selling then your life is going to be miserable.

You sell yourself to a romantic partner. You sell yourself to get a job. You sell the idea of a baby if you want to start a family. You sell yourself to publish a book.

Life is one big salesfest.

Don’t be so skeptical that you refuse to sell. Instead, give value and receive money for it. Capitalism isn’t illegal. It’s how you live with less stress.

This type of skeptic made me a millionaire

Early in my banking career I got forced to learn about cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin and ethereum. I became obsessed.

I invested in both assets because it was obvious that money would also be disrupted by technology. It was obvious money had to become borderless and move around the world in seconds, not days or weeks.

The decision to become a crypto enthusiast has caused me a lot of grief. People I worked with in the corporate world shadow-banned me because of my decision. Certain women wouldn’t date me because they thought crypto was for crazy people.

Then there’s the online trolls, haters, and skeptics.

I’ve been ripped apart on platforms like Medium because of my beliefs about crypto. Skeptics keep telling me bitcoin will go to $0 based on nothing.

Meanwhile, since 2013, crypto has made me a millionaire.

I’m no smarter than these skeptics. All I did is read books like “The Infinite Machine” and “The Bitcoin Standard” to cover my knowledge gaps. Once I did that it became obvious. Then I followed a few of the big names on Wall Street and realized they were all investing in crypto, too.

Investing opportunities create skeptics. People get pissed off when you’ve figured out a way to make money that they haven’t. Screw em. Do the research anyway. You might just stumble upon the opportunity of a lifetime like I did with crypto.

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Why do skeptics blow smoke up our asses?

So why do they do it, amigo?

The simple truth is they haven’t figured out how to do the thing they’re criticizing, or they’re too scared. So they tell other people they can’t do it. They also get jealous of people like me who prove their skepticism wrong through actual success.

You can be pissed off with success or you can learn from it. The choice is yours.

I’ve spent most of my life in sales so I have no problem asking for money in return for something that will genuinely help people. You can too.

How to give up the loser’s game of skepticism forever

It’s easy to accidentally become a skeptic. Many of our parents are professional skeptics and we inhale their deadly virus all through childhood.

Here’s how to give it up.

Lean into this superpower

Take a chance and back yourself, compadre. Seriously. You've got to fail a few times to actually get anywhere in life.

Rather than be skeptical, expect failure. I tried to build a new website recently. It has been a disaster. I’ve lost thousands of dollars and wasted huge amounts of time. Thank god. Last week I found a cool web developer who has been awesome to work with.

I don’t want a refund on all the previous bad websites that failed. That money is free education on how *not* to build a website.

Skeptics point to risk as the problem. Dahhhh.

Everything has risk. When the risk goes against you it’s better education than a degree. Money inflicts a certain type of pain that hardwires your brain for success.

If there’s no risk there’s no reward.

Open your mind

Open-mindedness is damn sexy. It’s why I write. I don’t want people to agree or disagree with me, I simply want to make them think. That promotes open-mindedness.

Take in new ideas. Allow for the possibility of new opinions. You may have been wrong your entire life about something. Better you learn that lesson now than continue to look like a dick.

Dare to believe in the impossible

Crazy things can happen, you know.

I recently entered a writing competition. First prize is $50,000. Maybe I’ll win. Maybe I won’t. At 21 I won a DJ competition. I won thousands of dollars in prizes and signed two record deals afterwards. One of the people I met during the process is now one of my best friends. My chance of success was extremely low.

If you take enough chances eventually one pays off.

You get one life. Why not dare to believe that the impossible can become possible for you? It’s better than assuming nothing good will happen.

Even if the impossible doesn’t happen to you, the process is worth it and will help you succeed in another area of life.

Experiment like a MOFO

Don’t be skeptical. No. Dedicate your life to experiments.

Try a new experiment every day and see what happens. Don’t let the first round of results prove your skepticism right. Dare to experiment with one thing for 5 years. It’s hard for your skepticism to be right when you do.

The truth is you’ll figure out almost anything if you practice it for long enough.

Final Thought

Skeptics are always unhappy. They don’t get what they want in life because they don’t even try. They just shut off all possibilities and dig their head in the sand. As soon as they see someone prove their skepticism to be bullsh*t, they come out and scream “scam-m-m.” This is fear in disguise.

Don’t let other people’s fears destroy your goals. Give it a shot. You got this.

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