The Luxury and Opportunity of Not Giving a Bleep We only have so many bleeps in life. Cherish your bleeps.
By Andrew Medal Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
In case you're wondering, yes, Entrepreneur won't let me use the word that I wanted to use. But I don't give a bleep, so I figured out a way around it.
I know this may pain some of you to hear, but I don't give a bleep that the Cubs won the World Series. I don't give a bleep what game is on Sunday. And I absolutely do not give a bleep about the election and every single person's opinion about it (seriously!).
I don't give a bleep about Kimye (or whatever they're called), Facebook trending stories or anyone's Snapchat feed. I don't give a bleep how many people read this article and don't give a bleep who agrees or disagrees with my perspective.
Related: The Limitless Power of Focusing Fully and Then Letting Go
Yep, that's a lot of bleeps. And, I've worked hard for these bleeps. You see, through traditional schooling, standardized testing and everyday norms and restrictions, society has slowly tried to mold me into the man that "society" wants me to be.
Study and be the top of your class. Because being top of your class means you'll get a better "job." And a better job equals a better life. A better life means you'll serve society better and be a better robot. Blah, blah, blah, I follow all instructions, be happier, live better, do what society says and forced to give a bleep about the things they want me to give a bleep about.
But I say bleep that!
Bleep the system
At every moment of my life, I bucked the system and fought for my rights.
In high school, it was "go to class and get good grades." I ditched class and sold drugs (I don't encourage this, but it's what I did and I'm making a point), and got a better education.
After high school, it was "go to college and learn how to be a great employee." I worked instead of going to school, then went back to college, took the classes that would help me be a better businessman and dropped out.
After college, it was "go work for a big company and be a happy employee forever." After dropping out, I worked at a startup and have been an entrepreneur since.
Throughout every pivotal point in my life, I've learned how not to give a bleep. And through this anti-establishment way of thinking, living and existing, I've learned how to give a bleep about the things that matter.
The bleep formula
You see, humans only have a finite amount of bleeps they can give. We only have X amount of bleep-carrying capacity, some more, some less, but only a limited number.
So let's play a little game. Let's say the average human has the capacity to give 10 bleeps a day (although I think that's a little generous). Let's see how that breaks down by my bleep-carrying capacity:
Related: Busy Is As Busy Does
An average human typical 10-bleep capacity:
- (1 bleep) Oh, definitely the election
- (2 bleeps) For sure all of the stories on Facebook Trending News
- (3 bleeps) The volatility of the market
- (4 bleeps) What I'm doing Friday night
- (5 bleeps) Who I matched with on Tinder
- (6 bleeps) Office gossip
- (7 bleeps) What everyone thinks about me.
- (8 bleeps) Kimye and all the other "super cool" celebrities
- (9 bleeps) Snapchat
- (10 bleeps) My extensive knowledge of wine
- (Nope, no more bleeps) Uh, friends and family
- (Nope, no more bleeps) My long-term health
- (Nope, no more bleeps) Wisdom and knowledge
- (Nope, no more bleeps) Faith in something other than myself?
- (Nope, no more bleeps) Etc.
As you can see, the average human uses up all of their bleeps on things that don't matter, which leaves no room for the things that do.
I don't give a bleep about any of that shit (why is this word allowed?) above, which allows me to give a bleep about more important things.
- (1 bleep) My faith
- (2 bleeps) Friends and family
- (3 bleeps) Giving back and helping others
- (4 bleeps) Long-term health and wellness
- (5 bleeps) Learning and expanding my mind
- (6 bleeps) Traveling and exploring
- (7 bleeps) Enjoying life
- (8 bleeps) Fitness and exercise
- (9 bleeps) The present moment
- (10 bleeps) Peace of mind
See, it's a simple formula.
Related: 5 Ways to Power Through Difficult Times
The cherished bleeps
Cherishing your bleeps then becomes the name of the game. As Robert Frost would've summed it up:
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two "bleep roads" diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the "bleep road" less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
You see, to not give a bleep about anything is to still give a bleep about something. We only have so many bleeps in life. Cherish your bleeps. I could give a bleep about what society wants me to give a bleep about, and that allows me to give a bleep about the things that truly matter to me.
