Tapping Into Your Inner Psychopath Can Help Your Career
No, this isn’t about attempting to unleash your inner Patrick Bateman. For years, experts thought of psychopaths as being distinct from the rest of the population. What we are learning through continued research, however, is that there is a spectrum of psychopathic behavior much as the same that we see with depression and autism. In fact, everyone on some level exhibits psychopathic behavior under the right circumstances. And while these traits can be destructive and disturbing when combined with one another, exhibiting one or two of them can actually give people an advantage in a competitive work environment.
Psychopaths have a grandiose sense of self importance. They are supremely confident in their own abilities, and are able to exploit other people in order to accomplish their goals. Now doesn’t this sound like every successful CEO and politician in America? The reason for that is because these highly motivated people have tapped into the power of their own inner psychopath to use it for their own advantage instead of as a destructive force. Fortunately, you can do the same by using the following tips:
Focus Intensely
One of the primary characteristics of a psychopath is their ability to focus on minute details, to capture everything of importance in their mind’s eye with one simple glance. In the business world, you have to develop this skill, which is in all of us but mostly lies dormant. To begin, simply start by pushing yourself a little more each day to develop a habit of detailing all important information required to complete your tasks. This should be as in-depth as possible. You want to push yourself out of the comfort zone, taking on increasing responsibilities until the point of exhaustion. Consider this more of a practice than anything else. You’re driving yourself towards a more perfect mind, with the ability to capture information and analyze it more quickly.
Fear Is The Mind Killer
The one thing which frees the psychopath from the confines of modern society are their complete lack of fear. They simply don’t have the capacity to be afraid of the things which frighten most of us — repercussions from law enforcement, personal failure, and even bodily harm. While we can never truly develop this ourselves — nor would we want to — we must be able to overcome our everyday fears that threaten to limit our careers and keep us from reaching our full potential. So how is this accomplished? Through the process of rationalization. We begin by simply accepting the inevitability of failure and death. It can take some time, but once finished, you’ll feel more free knowing that you aren’t as confined as the people around you. Such a mindset can be exhilarating, giving you more opportunity to exploit opportunities as they arise.
Be Ruthless and Charismatic At The Same Time
Develop the ability to talk a good game while also being able to go in for the kill (not literally) when the opportunity presents itself. You have to be able to smile one moment and then add pressure on an associate or client at the very next moment. Never accept defeat as a possibility. Instead, constantly work at exploiting the weaknesses of those around you, swaying them to do things, and ultimately using them for your own advantage. Always work the angle which produces the quickest results, regardless of long term consequences. Your goals are short term and immediate — you must be successful.
