Summary: Being Alpha doesn't mean owning lavish things and haven a harem of girls around you such as Dan Blizerian. A true alpha recognizes his limits, and maximizes them to the fullest.

It's the holiday season, and like many of you, I'm enjoying the down time with my family. I quickly hop into Snapchat to see how my friends are enjoying the holidays. Alas, it's just more photos of people fucking around on their hoverboards. Perhaps you as well noticed the hoverboard craze that swept through the States last winter. I crack a smile, but inside I silently weep for them, as they just wasted $250+ dollars for an LED version of walking. I ask myself, how does such a travesty happen? Six months later, here is my post on Herd Mentality.

Herd Mentality:

I like to describe "Herd Mentality" with examples. Herd Mentality is being convinced that you need to spend $250 because everyone else is. "Herd Mentality" is insisting on buying that 65 inch TV, because everyone else is doing the same. I can go on and on, but you get the point. Herd Mentality is buying what you perceive that everyone else is buying, regardless of whether it's within your means to do so. If there are any well off/richer folk reading this, ask yourself, Did I buy a hoverboard? If the answer is no, you know why: You thought for yourself and realized you don't need it. Yet the same people who cry for a $15 minimum wage went ahead and spent a majority of their paycheck on a machine so that they could feel "included". Whether you're well off, or still working your way up, below are common areas where people fall victim to the herd, when its ultimately not beneficial to many of them.

College

This is the big one that younger people face. All your life, you've been told that you go to college, you get a job, you find your wifey, pop a couple kids, and live happily ever after. Well that's all bullshit. Outside of a STEM major, or a business/finance/law degree from an elite university, there's a good chance college isn't your best bet. As I watch many of my peers head off to the nearest state college to pursue a bs degree like liberal arts or psychology, I think to myself, you'd be better off just using that $35,000 as paper for your weed. As for alternative options, consider a trade school, entrepreneurship, or simply just entering the workforce.

Technology

Wow, I wasn't aware that I must have a 65+ inch curved 4K television to watch football on Sunday's. Please tell me more about how the enhanced pixels and 12 degree curvature make me feel as if I'm at the game. In all seriousness, don't fall into the traps that have been set for you. Maybe you should upgrade that iPhone 4, but you're just fine owning a TV that's not supersized (most TV sucks now anyway).

Fitness Products

Chump: Look at this Fiji Water I just bought!

Me: Oh yeah?

Chump: Yeah! It's like filtered straight from the rocks of Fiji, it's like 100000x better for you than the crummy water normal people drink!

Me: Forces a smile while internally wishing to slap said chump with the strength of Brodin in my palm.

I'm not sure where in the evolutionary path of humans, we became convinced that we have to track our steps with a $150 Fitbit watch, eat organic everything, and buy water that's been filtered through the rocks of some irrelevant island. If you can comfortably afford those things, more power to you. If you can't, the great thing is you don't need to be able to. Just like you don't need that TV bigger than the wall it's going on, you can get by shopping smart, counting your calories, and lifting.

Lessons Learned: Break free from the herd, and learn to live with what you need, not what you want.

Edit: Formatting