Colby’s phone was ringing. He looked at it and his head sank to his chest.
It was his mom again. He would have to finally talk to her. And he knew what she would say.
“This is horrible, Colby,” his mom yelled as soon as he answered. “How could you? I just saw it again on ESPN! You called them filthy animals! An entire country, and you called them filthy animals! This is not how we raised you Colby! I should come over there and wash your mouth out with a bar of soap!”
You might know who I’m talking about. Colby “Chaos” Covington, currently the number-1-ranked welterweight in the UFC.
In case that doesn’t mean much to you, let me explain:
Covington is a professional MMA fighter. And he’s good at fighting.
But it turns out fighting is only a part of his job.
So in spite of being good at fighting, Covington was at one point on the edge of getting dropped from his contract with the UFC.
He was just not very exciting to watch or listen to.
So Covington started wearing a MAGA hat and name-dropping Donald Trump at every opportunity…
He started talking up his support and admiration of the police, right as the BLM movement was dominating the news…
And then, he went into his fight against the Brazilian fighter Damian Maia, in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
And right after beating Maia, during the post-fight interview, as the crowd started whistling and booing, Covington yelled into the microphone that Brazil is a dump and that Brazilians are filthy animals.
“What do you want me to do, mom?” he said when she finally gave him a chance to speak. “They really were acting like animals. They were all drunk, and they were throwing things at me and booing.”
So that’s the point I want to share with you today.
Covington says his public persona is really him. He’s not making it up.
He is a Trump supporter. He does admire and support the police and the military. And he thought the Brazilian crowd, before and during and after his Sao Paolo fight, was being incredibly rude.
The difference is, Covington took all those things… and he took them to 100.
It definitely worked for him. He had his UFC contract extended… he started making much more money… and he became one of the biggest names in the sport today.
And it can be the same for you, too.
You don’t have to be a natural to succeed at anything. Including having a personality.
You can even have fun doing it. A/B test different aspects of who you already are… exaggerate them, caricature them… and see what people respond to.
Money, fame, and opportunities will follow.
And in case you’re wondering:
Yes, I am telling this to you as much as to myself. Because this is an exercise I have been slacking off on doing.
So if in the near future you want to see me contradicting myself blatantly… or writing about crystal skulls and Akashic records… or announcing that I have converted to Taoism… well, sign up to my email newsletter. And get ready to witness my transformation.