Want to Get Ahead? Stop Worrying About Other People’s Feeling.

Use these 4 steps to give fewer f*cks. Does this title make you think I’m a jerk? Then, babe, this essay is for you.

Photo by Jason Leung

The podcast that changed my life was the one that told me to stop giving a sh*t about other people.

My enlightenment started with a close friend recommending an episode, and me responding with something between a lip curl and a moan because I don’t do podcasts.

This one is different, he said. They all say.

Against insurmountable odds, I caved and gave it a listen. You can check it out yourself here, but I’ll summarize it for my fellow anti-pods. It’s essentially about how perpetual Rule Followers grew up with one of two messages from their parents —

Who do you think you are?

or

Don’t be a nuisance

What I was supposed to take away from the episode was that people were doing the best they could so I shouldn’t judge them for breaking societal “rules.” But what it really taught me is that most people are not relentlessly thinking about others’ feelings. Instead, they are thinking mostly about themselves.

I know! What DICKS!