A Plea For Irrational Confidence

Who is this for?

If you are the kind of guy who is smart enough to know what you don't know, which gives you an accurate sense of humility, this is for you. It requires 15 minutes of your day, without distraction.

I have included some amendments from some really smart guys at MRP. If you want a more advanced conversation, add another 15 if you're already past the basics, have a few of those TRP points (gotta catch em all) or otherwise have your shit on lockdown. It's right after the line.

A lesson learned

So I was a brand new Ordinary Seaman, posted to the ship, ran into a Petty Officer, second class. Sickly looking, chain smoking, heavily drinking smart ass. A huge transition from the SGT and PO2 of basic training and the school who were largely what you remember from watching Full Metal Jacket to pump yourself up. I'll never forget his advice to me, and it sticks with me, 11 years later.

First day, act like you know what you're doing, people here will just believe you

Act like you know what you're doing, people will believe you. A plea for irrational confidence

A nice breakdown here for this concept. Dunning-Kruger Effect searches on Google can give you all manner of them. I won't waste your time to link them all here. You're a smart guy, you already know them. This ties into the point I made in judgment of men. The kind of person who sees the effect, and thinks of it as "people are stupid, they need to stop being stupid, I know." Then you have been given the wrong message. These stupid people are giving you a great gift, and it's there for the taking.

Irrational Confidence

There's the three elements here, and they are all important:

• Competence, or the ability to do something
• Self confidence, or the ability to know your own competence
• Projected confidence, or the ability to persuade others to your own competence.

You're a smart guy, you have the first one already, hell, to some degree, you may have the second as well. And you know what? That first one is the one that builds the foundation of the rest. It's just that third one. It's the visible one, the one that is persuasive that trumps all others.

Think of that "supermodel" level hot girl you had back in the day(well, supermodel to you right?). Remember her? She was easily the best looking girl you have ever met. Remember when she finally took your dick, and then you found out she was kind of a dead lay? You were sold a package, and inside was just the same piece of strange that comes in every other package. All sizzle, no steak. There's a lesson there,

Irrational Confidence

This seems apt, and I love any chance to throw a Fight Club reference into Red Pill thinking. Ignore all those 'consequences' you've built up in your head. I guarantee they are all useless. Did you know, in this day and age, it's so easy not to die, that you have to actually work at it to make it happen? This guy lived.

You think that making a bad decision that gets you into a little hot water with the wife/girlfriend/plate/boss is going to put you into a gutter? Think again. Irrational Confidence, primary action

• Whenever you make an assertion, make it as if it came from the mount. If you are called on it, shrug your shoulders, and double down.

• If you make a decision, and something happens outside the ideal, you're a smart guy, (I told you not to read this if you weren't remember?) you'll figure it out. Anyone else would have done the same thing in your situation, hindsight 20/20. It was the best decision with the information we had

• When starting, you will be tested on this. engage it twice. Restate it the first time because they probably didn't understand. Reassurance the second, because you know this will work. After that? You got two choices sweetheart, get behind me, or get out of the way, because this is happening.

• And the aftermath. You know, that 'worst case scenario' you built up in your head to argue why this won't work? Deal with it after the fact. People don't leave marriages because of a confident guy doesn't deliver perfection, no one jumps off the Chicago Bulls in 1995 because Jordan missed a free throw. You handled the first decision just fine, the second one will be even better.

• And for the 'shaming' or 'shit testing' you will receive on this? Just smile, like a kid with his hands in the cookie jar. A devil-may-care attitude makes all the difference. They aren't telling you that your shit won't work.

They are testing you, because they want in on it. It's exactly the same as when a girl tells you "You know we aren't having sex tonight, right?" It only tells you that she's been thinking of sex tonight, it's not a challenge, it's the go ahead signal champ.

All you have to do is not fuck this up, it's a layup.

Boobie, I'm your white knight!

A conclusion for Irrational Confidence

Try it, in all the inconsequential parts of your life. If someones physical life isn't in the balance, if it doesn't involve your life savings on the roulette wheel, just do it. Pick the most inconsequential thing if you must. I guarantee it will work, and you will then start pushing it to more and more important decisions. Next thing you know, you're going to have that quiet, smart guy, mumbling under his breath how you're that idiot who thinks he is smarter than he is, with an inflated ego. And you will laugh, because he doesn't get it, but you do.

And a followup - Self destructive

• So I originally posted this on MRP, and have had a few nice ammendments that I'm going to steal from /thumpnuts and /bogeyd6*

People who are self-destructive are going to have a big problem with this.

Everything you said is quantitative fact. How many people have been caught impersonating Cops, Doctors, Celebrities, etc...? They have the confidence to pull it off... confidence men. I think there's an abbreviated term for it.

The real trick is to be competent. Don't have faith in your competence, know your competence, and leverage it to the best of your ability. At the same time, know your weaknesses. That way, even if you fuck up, you made a smart and calculated risk with the odds in your favor. If it doesn't work out - you learned something about your own judgement.

I can say, with all the confidence in the world, that "2+2=4," because I KNOW it does. I can say I'm working late and go to a strip club on the way home without mentioning it. Why? Because if I get busted I'll just play it off like it's no big deal.

How can I do that?

Because I know it's no big deal. The strip clubs are 90% filled with married guys. I have all the confidence in the world to say that with a straight face... even if she thinks it is a big deal. But, guess what? Maybe that makes her "dread" a little. Maybe it secretly turns her on

here's a hint: yes it does.

Your results may vary, of course. Don't get hung up on the details. The point is you can be a fucking moron but be confident in what you know and run for President and people will vote for you because [fill in the blank].

And a followup: as a stratagem

I am a great believer in a quote from Terence's play, Phormio, "Fortis Fortuna adjuvat". However, lacking the competency while daring is not a good stratagem. To be competent, and then to be bold. That is the key right there. This works in life, I can assure you of that. Whoa is the man who decides to base his boldness on his incompetency. That is the mere definition of doubling down on a bad decision.

Delving even further into the message. Everyone thinks they are smart. In fact, I don't know a single guy who doesn't think he is smarter than everyone else. You of course prefaced that in the beginning of your message, but starting out on a known fallacy :D Case in point, I am reading it! The view that a man can take action, believe in himself, and project his confidence really is the epitome of alphaness. Faking it until you make it, generally does work. This post reminds me of another idiom. Act like you belong somewhere and people won't question it.

Last thing I want to remind you of is Sun Tzu. If you are really going to make a decision and you have what may be incomplete information. You are always better off finding out more than to base a decision off of bad information. Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory. Therefore, irrational confidence turns out to be a double edged sword.

Apply that to the red pill. Hit the gym, practice your game, work on your kino. Once you have those three areas proficient. You have already seized victory in this game. If you are a tard, and think you can half ass it, and project your super confidence. You are going to have a bad time.