I have been bald almost all of my adult life. In fact, the hair loss started so early that I never stressed over it as being connected with aging. I was in my twenties, so losing my hair wasn’t a sign of getting old; it was just a thing that happened.
And over the years, I’ve been made privy to a set of secrets that bald men know that few others do. I don’t think I’m breaking any rules by telling you these secrets. You probably won’t act on them anyway, so it’s safe to shout the truth from the rooftops.
I think you’ll see that although these are lessons learned by being a man and bald, they can also apply to females and excessively tressed men. And perhaps, they can be applied to broader topics than hair on one’s head. Like how to remove the distractions, embrace what makes you different and special, and how to find happiness in what other might seek to avoid for themselves.
Here is what I’ve learned:
- Embrace your baldness.
- Never hide or conceal your glorious, bald head and take pity on those that cannot yet let go of their past and false glory.
- Ignore the taunts of the humorless.
- Revel in the brotherhood of the bald.
I’ll spend the rest of the week letting you in on the details. Here’s the first one:
Embrace your baldness. When change is thrust upon you, don’t fight it; make it a part of you. Losing your hair isn’t an injustice, it’s just nature. For me, I found that when I was losing my hair I was too busy with life to worry about it. I immediately changed my hairstyle to a buzz cut and when it became very thin on top, shaved it clean. Over the years, I’ve saved literally thousands of dollars I would have spent at the salon or barbershop and on hair products (add that to the Spend Nothing Game as a win!). And more, I often have people who I haven’t seen in years react in shock and say, “You haven’t changed in years!” Because I embraced my baldness early and it wasn’t a part of aging, I haven’t appeared to age (let me refer you to a previous post to make clear that It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage.)
In life and business there are also many changes that you might not want or welcome. These changes might make you want to fight or seek revenge. But learn a lesson from The Godfather. “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.” (You thought I was going to pull out the “it’s just business” quote, didn’t you?).
I’ve been working inside and for businesses for over twenty-five years. Every single business I ever was associated with faced a market in flux because of technology, competition, or the economy. The successful ones embraced the change and made it a feature for them. The losers fought, and for the most part, lost.
I’ll add a second part to this first secret: learn to lose gracefully. When faced with something you can’t change, like losing your hair, or finding that some new internet technology does what you sell, but for a fraction of the cost, don’t call out the hair transplant teams or whatever your business equivalent is, just let it go. Shave it all off. Find a new business or niche or way of doing things. Reinvent yourself, gloriously bald, and forget you ever had hair.
To learn when to accept change, to find what’s sweet (the cannoli), and to run with it will help make you successful and happy. I’m a happy bald man. By embracing the change in my business life from employee to freelancer, I’m happier and more productive than ever.
Are you wearing a comb over or doing the business equivalent?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
When I was a kid, my barber had a big sign in his shop that read “God only created so many perfect heads. The rest he covered with hair.”
I miss going to the barber, but there’s no point in doing it. But I like the sentiment in the sign!
Thanks for commenting,
Randy
{ 1 trackback }