There’s a saying that my mom used to dish out often when I was a kid.
“______ would fuck up a free lunch line.”
I used to die laughing as it was usually accompanied with a colorful rant of eloquently placed curse words that meshed together in a beautiful web of things I couldn’t say out loud. But, as I grew older I began to encounter the type of people that embody the phrase. There are some people that will talk themselves right out of a discount, an opportunity, and yes even free lunch.
What causes people to be consistently contrary? Is it a personality trait of those that have experienced extreme disappointment in life over many years; or is the relationship reverse, and their contrary disposition is what’s breeding the energy for disappointment?
Whatever the answer may be, let me share a few words of wisdom that can possibly assist that type of person in learning how to NOT block their blessings:
1. When the price tag says $FREE, your TIME is the fee:
Even coupons say limited time offer, you can’t just run rough shot over someone offering something for free and do things whenever you feel like it. Patience, accommodation and milk (three things that expire). You wouldn’t play around with the milk and push a few weeks past the best by date, so why do that with someone’s time?
2. Nobody cares about how you feel about the circumstances surrounding something that you don’t have to pay for:
Shut up and either say yes or no. A contract without consideration is not a contract….. so what exactly is it that you are trying to negotiate? The conversation on a free offer should not exceed the length of time it takes to ascertain what time you need to be present and if there’s something that you need to bring or do. If the small hand on the clock moves from one number to the next, you’re talking too long, and asking too many questions. SHUT UP, and either accept or decline.
3. You are never just entitled to a discount:
I don’t care how long you’ve known the person, or how many discounts they’ve given you before. NOBODY OWES YOU ANYTHING. So stop acting like you’ve got the inside track on something. Every discount, unless it’s a status of your employment, is a blessing and you should be so glad to have received it. Stop thinking that people owe you the “player price” because you grew up together. Adults have bills and obligations, don’t try to get lemonade stand prices from somebody on a grind. (this is the part that the person realizes why they haven’t heard from their “friend”)
If you know somebody like this, post this on your Facebook wall, post the link on Twitter so they get a chance to read it and get their life together. Perhaps they didn’t realize that their actions are messing it up for everybody. Nobody deserves to be stuck dealing with an inconsiderate asshole.
You should know by now I don’t mind addressing the real, so if there’s something you need to express to someone but don’t know the words feel free to send me the subject or the problem and I’ll break it down.
Private Thoughts in Public Forum 