Want to boost your buying power? There’s a simple strategy you may have overlooked: lowering yourself in esteem, quality, or character to get money.
Debasement offers virtually unlimited possibilities: You can debase yourself for an audience, a boss, an investor, a client—there is no wrong way to debase yourself provided you honestly strive to diminish yourself; to be less today than you were yesterday.
Do you think I want to write this article recommending self-debasement? Any idea of “wanting” something outside of material reward went out the window long ago. That’s a luxury I can’t afford—unlike anything else. Yes, I am doing quite well. Let’s just say I’ve done a lot of self-debasement.
“For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” The whole world. It profits him the whole world.
You may find MoneyBank knocking at your door, asking for your endorsement. And you may have “issues” with MoneyBank’s business practices. But if MoneyBank is willing to give you money, appear in their commercial, proclaiming that “MoneyBank is the bank that gave me money.” Display your MoneyBank card and smile. If you don’t do it, someone else will. The only difference is to whom MoneyBank gives money.
Do not worry about your reputation. The conversion rate of reputation to American dollars is zero. And once you get old enough, you stop caring about what other people think—because you are dead.
It can be intimidating to start debasing yourself. You may think that you don’t have the resources to set about self-debasement. Don’t be discouraged. You’re never too young or too poor to start debasing yourself. Just start with “debasics” (that’s a favorite little debasement joke I have, and also the title of my sixteen-part online self-debasement course).
You may think that you have enough money, and that there is no benefit to further self-debasement. But you’re never too debased to rake in more cash by debasing yourself further. Those who are confused when they see rich people continue to debase themselves don’t realize that that’s how they stay rich.
If you feel stuck because people don’t want to give you money, try lying. A lie is justifiable as long as it does more good than harm, like if it gets someone to pay you money. I can promise that I will never debase myself. I can promise anything. It’s just saying a thing.
Of course, there’s more to life than money—and debasement can get you so much beyond cash. It can yield free stuff, sex, whatever you want. Fake a serious illness to get out of something you don’t want to do. Cry when you don’t feel sad because it will soften your adversaries’ resolve. Say “I love you” to someone you just met and don’t even like. Don’t be afraid to fail; as long as you aren’t true to yourself, you have nothing to feel unashamed of.