Even worse, actual successes become irrelevant or unnoticed as he’s built a bubble of attitudes and a self-concocted set of metrics for success which are unattainable since they only exist in the Gamma’s head. I’ve witnessed this first hand, multiple times, where a Gamma suffers from depression, talks of Impostor Syndrome, or feels unsuccessful regardless of having actual accomplishments. Getting a middle-class job, successfully raising children, even getting and staying married are accomplishments, but typically the Gamma takes no pride in these things. The reason is that they aren’t special, and the Gamma must be Special.
If you are down about your life for whatever reason, take stock of yourself and situation. I’d wager you have some accomplishments already, but if you have very few then set some goals for yourself. Some ideas:
- Clean up your finances and get out of debt.
- Hit the gym and get in the best shape of your life.
- Learn a new skill or expand your knowledge in your work.
- Pick up a hobby which has some metrics for success.
- Most importantly fail horribly at something, and try something else.
The best way to counteract Special is to accomplish something with your life with actual metrics. You won’t have to rely on obscure trivia, lame jokes, or the superiority of your favorite music genre to feel good about yourself. If you need to, set a realistic goal that by the end of this year that you will accomplish something to be proud of. In January when everyone else is setting a New Year’s resolution, you can quietly smile to yourself know you are already a step ahead, and your resolution can be even a bigger triumph.