Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?
| Category: Entrepreneurship | Date: 2001-07-24 |
S U R V I V A L
Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?
Maybe you have spent the bulk of your lifetime building a comfortable, even substantial, base of personal wealth. At the same time, according to Nicholas Pullen, you have earned the dubious distinction of becoming a target. That's all the incentive you need to adopt a low profile lifestyle. It could save you a lot of pain.
If you have wealth, the chances are high that you and it will become a target. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. Some day soon, though, a predator will target you with the sole intention of separating you from your assets.
It might be your government; hungry for finance. Governments need continual supplies of revenue to survive. but, as you are probably well aware, they don't know how to make money. They only know how to take it - through taxes and confiscations. Your government will make every effort, by deploying massive financial, technological and human resources, to take as much of your money as possible.
The majority of first-world governments aggressively target private wealth, in an effort to turn it into government-owned wealth. The US government actually has a policy which directs its investigative agents and prosecutors to actively seek out and shake down high-profile and successful people. Those individuals who have something worth taking. Your government will be working along similar lines.
Then there's the avaricious litigant. This predator is the latest form of parasite to sweep the western world. First of all, these opportunists target an affluent individual. Then they make speculative claims, spurious allegations, allude to imagined grievances and point to exaggerated damages, in the hope of being awarded a bumper pay-out by a jury. This is the litigation lottery and greedy, malevolent individuals are frequently hitting the jackpot.
"This is the litigation lottery and greedy, malevolents frequently hit the jackpot."
A Growing Trend
This phenomenon first appeared in the US. Now it has reached Europe. Hardly an hour goes by on British TV without the exposure of advertisements that actively encourage ordinary people to litigate on the basis of an old injury, an accident, a fall, or some other ancient grievance.
The message seems to be that if something, anything, happens to you, someone else is to blame and can be made to pay.
If you've have wealth, you represent an ideal target to the avaricious litigant. So don't be surprised if one takes a pot shot at you. The widespread offers of "No win. No fee" representation expose the system to abuse in the form of speculative or malicious claims. The number of targets looks set to grow over the coming years.
In addition, thieves, blackmailers, fraudsters, con men and other criminals are constantly on the lookout for soft targets. They lurk in the shadows, waiting for affluent prey to reveal itself. They only attack when they know the target has something worth taking.
Lethal Attraction
In the 21st Century it is dangerous to be visibly wealthy. Visible wealth attracts predators and virtually guarantees you will be attacked. So how do you protect yourself in this hostile climate?
There is an old Chinese proverb which says, "The nail that sticks out is the first to be hammered." Today it is the wealthy who must ensure that they don't stick out.
An important element of your strategy to protect yourself from predators is to become invisible to them. You must strive to be invisible to everybody you encounter in day to day life. If you can't be seen, you won't be attacked.
Invisibility means not attracting the attention of anybody; your neighbours, the people you work with, the girl at the check-out register, the authorities, anybody who might pose a risk to the security of your wealth. You must become low profile.
"Stupidity is one of the best smoke screens there is."
Living a low profile lifestyle doesn't mean you need to live under your own floorboards, never opening the curtains, hardly ever going out of the house, and wearing a wig and a false moustache when you do, and never having any sort of relationship with other human beings.
When you live a low profile life you live an ordinary life; with one difference. By way of smart use of camouflage, smoke, mirrors, guile and a lot of common sense, you actively avoid displaying or giving out the signals the predator needs to be able to identify his prey. You avoid becoming the predator's next free meal ticket.
Here is a list of the low profile basics I believe you can and should, with immediate effect, adopt in your own life:
Successful Low Profile Living
1. Your main objective is to blend in to your background like a chameleon. At all costs appear "normal". Don't do anything that sets you apart from the crowd. In a nutshell, invisibility is the art of appearing as the grey man. Who is the grey man? He's Mr Average.
Unspectacular. Unworthy of note. Unlikely to attract attention. Unlikely to be noticed by predators.
2. Adopt an air of genteel poverty or modest success. Bespoke suits and designer clothes attract unwanted attention. Dress down. Avoid strutting around town like a peacock dripping with gold jewelry. Similarly, you may love your wife or girlfriend but bedecking her with diamonds and pearls means she will be an irresistible lure to predators for more than one reason.
3. Avoid being outspoken; this attracts attention. Appear humble. Arrogance breeds resentment. Fade into the background. Don't strive to be the center of attention. Don't be a loud-mouth.
4. Don't try and be the local celebrity. Shun all media exposure. Don't have your photograph leaping out of the newspapers. Keep your activities cloaked in privacy. It may seem like fun to be the life and soul of the community but being well-known and highly visible can prove expensive.
5. Learn to distrust publicity. Also, you might be financially successful and very good at what you do, but does everybody need to know? Lose your ego. Keep quiet about your brilliance. It's better to lose your ego than to lose your wealth to a malicious litigant who takes a speculative pot- shot because he knows you have something to hit.
6. Don't spend money recklessly. This gets you noticed. Great rolls of notes and ostentatious spending sprees breed resentment. Don't be a big shot at the casino. Avoid lavish displays.
7. Don't drive top-of-the-range, luxury vehicles or exotic sports cars. Taxmen, in particular, notice these status symbols with alarming regularity. They often log the details and launch investigations into the affairs of registered owners, simply on the basis of their sightings. They'll want to see if your declared income and assets are capable of sustaining your visible lifestyle. I'm sure they do. I'm also sure you can do without any kind of investigator poking about in your business and needing to find something, anything, to justify the time, effort and expense involved. Drive an ordinary family car in a common colour. Your car should not be better than the average for your neighbourhood.
8. Avoid gold credit cards. Even to the uneducated eye
these signal money. Stick with the standard issue card.
Similarly, avoid using offshore credit cards in places where
you are known. An offshore stash arouses curiosity.
9. Be seen to live comfortably. Not ostentatiously. Palatial homes equipped with all the latest security systems invite closer attention. They give the impression that the owner has something to lose or hide. A comfortable, discreet home doesn't get noticed. A comfortable home doesn't invite speculation or investigation.
10. Avoid any situation in which you may be likely to come under the scrutiny of any authority figure, official representative, or police officer. These are the very last people you want to take an interest in your affairs and activities. The best way of avoiding them permanently is never to arouse their curiosity. Observe all laws. Even minor ones. Don't get into arguments with anybody if you can help it. People hold grudges, and somebody with a grudge might take revenge by making malicious reports to the authorities about you, and precipitating investigations into your affairs. Don't annoy your neighbours. This means no noise, no late night parties, no great piles of junk spilling out of your garage, no mangy mutt running wild over the neighbour's lovingly manicured lawn. Be polite and courteous to neighbours and keep yourself to yourself. Live the life of an ordinary, moderately successful, law-abiding citizen and you're likely to be left alone.
11. Don't become over-friendly with your landlord. Just honour your end of the rental agreement. Landlords are often good sources of information for snoops, investigators, and others with an interest in your affairs. The less your landlord knows the less he can compromise you. Similarly, avoid having unnecessary visitors come to your home. Buy milk and newspapers at the shop on the corner. Have your mail delivered to a PO Box or a maildrop.
Delivery people and suppliers who come to your home are another good potential source of information for the snoop. Also, lace curtains on your windows will foil casual observers.
12. Keep your mouth shut. Never tell anybody your business. Never mention your wealth, activities or any success you have enjoyed. Loose slips sink ships. More people have fallen foul of their own slack jaws than for any other reason. Today's friend, wife, lover or colleague is tomorrow's government informer. Trust no-one. If nobody knows your business, they can't tell anybody about it. Be careful what you say in public places. Remember, tax inspectors, criminals and the like, all drink in pubs, eat in restaurants etc., etc. You don't know who is sitting beside you or standing behind you, so moderate your talk accordingly. Be careful what you say about your views on government, privacy, freedom, tax, and the use of offshore financial centres. Not everybody sees through the propaganda peddled by government and the mainstream media. Most swallow it whole and will consider your views outlandish, perhaps even subversive. Your beliefs may reach the wrong ears.
13. Sometimes it is helpful to appear slightly stupid. A little play-acting and a little misinformation means many predators won't take you seriously and pass you by. Stupidity is one of the best smoke screen there is.
Remember, there is always someone watching, listening and waiting. There is always someone primed for an opportunity to strike. A simple scrap of information, a glimpse of something, a whiff of something else, can bring the sharks in their droves. Your wealth is a target.
Ignoring low profile principles is a very dangerous game. In the modern world, wealth represents a legitimate target to be shot at by opportunists who want to get their hands on what you have. It is in your interests to be extremely careful. If you want to hold on to your hard-earned wealth you must hide it from public view.
Predators are constantly circling and watching for opportunities. Like starving wolves they constantly require fresh supplies of meat. They strike when they see any shred of evidence pointing to material success. This evidence can take many forms.
As modern society becomes more hostile to wealth, keeping a low profile is a crucial survival technique. Unless you want to be your own worst enemy.
About the Author
Find this article of interest? Visit The Freebooter website at freebooter.com or contact Henry Morgan and take advantage of pointers, tips and articles to help you to remain free.
Henry Morgan
Publishing Guidlines: May be freely published as long as the article and Contact Details are complete and unchanged. Please send a courtesy copy on publication to freebooter@forwardproductions.com
The Freebooter
:To contact see details below.
henrymorgan@freebooter.com
http://www.freebooter.com
Are You Your Own Worst Enemy?
Maybe you have spent the bulk of your lifetime building a comfortable, even substantial, base of personal wealth. At the same time, according to Nicholas Pullen, you have earned the dubious distinction of becoming a target. That's all the incentive you need to adopt a low profile lifestyle. It could save you a lot of pain.
If you have wealth, the chances are high that you and it will become a target. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. Some day soon, though, a predator will target you with the sole intention of separating you from your assets.
It might be your government; hungry for finance. Governments need continual supplies of revenue to survive. but, as you are probably well aware, they don't know how to make money. They only know how to take it - through taxes and confiscations. Your government will make every effort, by deploying massive financial, technological and human resources, to take as much of your money as possible.
The majority of first-world governments aggressively target private wealth, in an effort to turn it into government-owned wealth. The US government actually has a policy which directs its investigative agents and prosecutors to actively seek out and shake down high-profile and successful people. Those individuals who have something worth taking. Your government will be working along similar lines.
Then there's the avaricious litigant. This predator is the latest form of parasite to sweep the western world. First of all, these opportunists target an affluent individual. Then they make speculative claims, spurious allegations, allude to imagined grievances and point to exaggerated damages, in the hope of being awarded a bumper pay-out by a jury. This is the litigation lottery and greedy, malevolent individuals are frequently hitting the jackpot.
"This is the litigation lottery and greedy, malevolents frequently hit the jackpot."
A Growing Trend
This phenomenon first appeared in the US. Now it has reached Europe. Hardly an hour goes by on British TV without the exposure of advertisements that actively encourage ordinary people to litigate on the basis of an old injury, an accident, a fall, or some other ancient grievance.
The message seems to be that if something, anything, happens to you, someone else is to blame and can be made to pay.
If you've have wealth, you represent an ideal target to the avaricious litigant. So don't be surprised if one takes a pot shot at you. The widespread offers of "No win. No fee" representation expose the system to abuse in the form of speculative or malicious claims. The number of targets looks set to grow over the coming years.
In addition, thieves, blackmailers, fraudsters, con men and other criminals are constantly on the lookout for soft targets. They lurk in the shadows, waiting for affluent prey to reveal itself. They only attack when they know the target has something worth taking.
Lethal Attraction
In the 21st Century it is dangerous to be visibly wealthy. Visible wealth attracts predators and virtually guarantees you will be attacked. So how do you protect yourself in this hostile climate?
There is an old Chinese proverb which says, "The nail that sticks out is the first to be hammered." Today it is the wealthy who must ensure that they don't stick out.
An important element of your strategy to protect yourself from predators is to become invisible to them. You must strive to be invisible to everybody you encounter in day to day life. If you can't be seen, you won't be attacked.
Invisibility means not attracting the attention of anybody; your neighbours, the people you work with, the girl at the check-out register, the authorities, anybody who might pose a risk to the security of your wealth. You must become low profile.
"Stupidity is one of the best smoke screens there is."
Living a low profile lifestyle doesn't mean you need to live under your own floorboards, never opening the curtains, hardly ever going out of the house, and wearing a wig and a false moustache when you do, and never having any sort of relationship with other human beings.
When you live a low profile life you live an ordinary life; with one difference. By way of smart use of camouflage, smoke, mirrors, guile and a lot of common sense, you actively avoid displaying or giving out the signals the predator needs to be able to identify his prey. You avoid becoming the predator's next free meal ticket.
Here is a list of the low profile basics I believe you can and should, with immediate effect, adopt in your own life:
Successful Low Profile Living
1. Your main objective is to blend in to your background like a chameleon. At all costs appear "normal". Don't do anything that sets you apart from the crowd. In a nutshell, invisibility is the art of appearing as the grey man. Who is the grey man? He's Mr Average.
Unspectacular. Unworthy of note. Unlikely to attract attention. Unlikely to be noticed by predators.
2. Adopt an air of genteel poverty or modest success. Bespoke suits and designer clothes attract unwanted attention. Dress down. Avoid strutting around town like a peacock dripping with gold jewelry. Similarly, you may love your wife or girlfriend but bedecking her with diamonds and pearls means she will be an irresistible lure to predators for more than one reason.
3. Avoid being outspoken; this attracts attention. Appear humble. Arrogance breeds resentment. Fade into the background. Don't strive to be the center of attention. Don't be a loud-mouth.
4. Don't try and be the local celebrity. Shun all media exposure. Don't have your photograph leaping out of the newspapers. Keep your activities cloaked in privacy. It may seem like fun to be the life and soul of the community but being well-known and highly visible can prove expensive.
5. Learn to distrust publicity. Also, you might be financially successful and very good at what you do, but does everybody need to know? Lose your ego. Keep quiet about your brilliance. It's better to lose your ego than to lose your wealth to a malicious litigant who takes a speculative pot- shot because he knows you have something to hit.
6. Don't spend money recklessly. This gets you noticed. Great rolls of notes and ostentatious spending sprees breed resentment. Don't be a big shot at the casino. Avoid lavish displays.
7. Don't drive top-of-the-range, luxury vehicles or exotic sports cars. Taxmen, in particular, notice these status symbols with alarming regularity. They often log the details and launch investigations into the affairs of registered owners, simply on the basis of their sightings. They'll want to see if your declared income and assets are capable of sustaining your visible lifestyle. I'm sure they do. I'm also sure you can do without any kind of investigator poking about in your business and needing to find something, anything, to justify the time, effort and expense involved. Drive an ordinary family car in a common colour. Your car should not be better than the average for your neighbourhood.
8. Avoid gold credit cards. Even to the uneducated eye
these signal money. Stick with the standard issue card.
Similarly, avoid using offshore credit cards in places where
you are known. An offshore stash arouses curiosity.
9. Be seen to live comfortably. Not ostentatiously. Palatial homes equipped with all the latest security systems invite closer attention. They give the impression that the owner has something to lose or hide. A comfortable, discreet home doesn't get noticed. A comfortable home doesn't invite speculation or investigation.
10. Avoid any situation in which you may be likely to come under the scrutiny of any authority figure, official representative, or police officer. These are the very last people you want to take an interest in your affairs and activities. The best way of avoiding them permanently is never to arouse their curiosity. Observe all laws. Even minor ones. Don't get into arguments with anybody if you can help it. People hold grudges, and somebody with a grudge might take revenge by making malicious reports to the authorities about you, and precipitating investigations into your affairs. Don't annoy your neighbours. This means no noise, no late night parties, no great piles of junk spilling out of your garage, no mangy mutt running wild over the neighbour's lovingly manicured lawn. Be polite and courteous to neighbours and keep yourself to yourself. Live the life of an ordinary, moderately successful, law-abiding citizen and you're likely to be left alone.
11. Don't become over-friendly with your landlord. Just honour your end of the rental agreement. Landlords are often good sources of information for snoops, investigators, and others with an interest in your affairs. The less your landlord knows the less he can compromise you. Similarly, avoid having unnecessary visitors come to your home. Buy milk and newspapers at the shop on the corner. Have your mail delivered to a PO Box or a maildrop.
Delivery people and suppliers who come to your home are another good potential source of information for the snoop. Also, lace curtains on your windows will foil casual observers.
12. Keep your mouth shut. Never tell anybody your business. Never mention your wealth, activities or any success you have enjoyed. Loose slips sink ships. More people have fallen foul of their own slack jaws than for any other reason. Today's friend, wife, lover or colleague is tomorrow's government informer. Trust no-one. If nobody knows your business, they can't tell anybody about it. Be careful what you say in public places. Remember, tax inspectors, criminals and the like, all drink in pubs, eat in restaurants etc., etc. You don't know who is sitting beside you or standing behind you, so moderate your talk accordingly. Be careful what you say about your views on government, privacy, freedom, tax, and the use of offshore financial centres. Not everybody sees through the propaganda peddled by government and the mainstream media. Most swallow it whole and will consider your views outlandish, perhaps even subversive. Your beliefs may reach the wrong ears.
13. Sometimes it is helpful to appear slightly stupid. A little play-acting and a little misinformation means many predators won't take you seriously and pass you by. Stupidity is one of the best smoke screen there is.
Remember, there is always someone watching, listening and waiting. There is always someone primed for an opportunity to strike. A simple scrap of information, a glimpse of something, a whiff of something else, can bring the sharks in their droves. Your wealth is a target.
Ignoring low profile principles is a very dangerous game. In the modern world, wealth represents a legitimate target to be shot at by opportunists who want to get their hands on what you have. It is in your interests to be extremely careful. If you want to hold on to your hard-earned wealth you must hide it from public view.
Predators are constantly circling and watching for opportunities. Like starving wolves they constantly require fresh supplies of meat. They strike when they see any shred of evidence pointing to material success. This evidence can take many forms.
As modern society becomes more hostile to wealth, keeping a low profile is a crucial survival technique. Unless you want to be your own worst enemy.
About the Author
Find this article of interest? Visit The Freebooter website at freebooter.com or contact Henry Morgan and take advantage of pointers, tips and articles to help you to remain free.
Henry Morgan
Publishing Guidlines: May be freely published as long as the article and Contact Details are complete and unchanged. Please send a courtesy copy on publication to freebooter@forwardproductions.com
The Freebooter
:To contact see details below.
henrymorgan@freebooter.com
http://www.freebooter.com
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