If you have watched American Gangster, you have probably heard of the quote: “the loudest one in the room is the weakest one in the room.” When Denzel Washington said that, he was trying to explain how he had tons of problems when he was showing off (being loud), and how he had very few problems when he wasn’t showing off.
Now granted, Denzel Washington was a drug dealer in the movie, which is why he had tons of problems. Although you aren’t involved in illegal activates (or at least I hope you aren’t) you should try and be low key because showing off won’t do much good for you.
For example I try and stay humble by doing things like driving my mom’s beat up Honda Civic, which is 10 years old. Even worse, my mom’s daycare business, Tina’s Daycare, is advertised on the car.
You can be loud by bragging about your financial status or by buying luxury goods that make you stand out. If I started driving around a Ferrari, all that it will do is cause more people to snoop into my business and try to compete with me. Also, playing it quiet has three huge benefits:
- More money – if you don’t waste your money on things like a fancy car, you will have more of it. When you are doing well having money is never a problem, but you never know what is going to happen. What happens if the economy goes into another recession? Or even worse, what happens when more competitors’ emerge and they start eating at your market share?
- Respect – a lot of people will respect you if you show your wealth or talk about how successful you are, but those people usually aren’t important. In most cases they’ll either get excited or jealous of you because they want what you have. On the other hand if you don’t show off you will get respect from people that can help you get further in life. For example people who are smart don’t easily get impressed when someone brags about their success, they get turned off. Just look at Britney Spears and Paris Hilton… they are very flashy, but you probably don’t respect them.
- Clear path – when you start spending having enough is never enough. Once you start on the path of buying to impress there’s always something bigger to buy, where as when you’re frugal you can see the bottom. If you haven’t made it yet, it is better for you to stay closer to the ground so that you know where you are going. Plus, there is always someone who is going to have more than you.
Of course, knowing that you should keep a low profile and actually doing it are two different things. Thankfully, these two simple steps will make it a lot easier to actually BE quieter:
- Think twice – before you do things like make a luxurious purchase or brag, think it through. Acting on impulse is what causes you to do stupid things. Especially when it comes to making extravagant purchases, sleep on it before you make a decision. Hopefully after a good nights rest, you will come to your senses.
- Shut your mouth – every once in a while you’ll do something that you are proud of, instead of talking about it, keep your mouth shut. Showing off will not get you anywhere. On top of that you probably want to shut your mouth when it comes to talking about your business and the unique ways you are making money. If you don’t have a business and are planning on creating or buying one, be careful who you mention that to. The less people that know about your business, the better.
Lastly, you may tend to be loud because you think it will make you feel better. The reality is, it won’t! Plus, it’s easy for American Gangsters to find loud people in dark rooms. So SHH!