Being an extremist is a surefire way to burn a lot of bridges and piss a lot of people off. This article is not about which side is right or wrong, everyone is entitled to believe what they want. Instead we focus on the effects of those choices and beliefs.

An Extremist: “Someone so caught up in a single paradigm that it absorbs most of their thought and speech, making it nearly impossible for them to communicate or accept alternative paradigms.”

An Extremist is often known as annoying or downright batshit crazy. They oftentimes lack a sense of humor and many people think they believe unusual or uncommon things.

Being an Extremist in anything, “good or bad”, filters out potential friendships and relationships due to the inflexibility it creates in your personality.

Let’s pretend that all of the products on Amazon.com represent the human population. If you search for car products, the amount of available products drops significantly.

If you filter those results by tires, you get even less. If you keep filtering the tires by brand and price and so on, you end up with only a handful of options. As an extremist, those handful of options represent your available friendship options as you, and others, filter each other out through your belief systems.

You see a non-extremist can be interested in car products but also interested in musical products or clothes or many other things all at once. An extremist has a limited amount of flexibility in interests and thoughts, and because of that, their options for amiable acquaintances become limited.

Below are five areas to avoid being extreme in:

Number 1: Health

Minority: Natural Health / Majority: Standard Medicine

If you are “pro” or “anti” anything you’ve already began clicking the filter buttons. In health, mainly natural health, there is a point of no return you can hit when you stop eating fast food and then start looking down on people for not eating the way you think they should. The vaccine debate will cost you a lot of friends as well.

I was in a relationship where it was nearly impossible to go anywhere besides Whole Foods or an all natural store. That means no dates, no bbqs, no parties, no get togethers, no bars, no concerts, and that leaves very few people to hang out with. We avoided any place where we couldn’t control the food options or would look funny bringing our own food.

Want to lose 90% of your friends? Start telling them you can cure their ailments with your juice fast or that you have a dieting plan that will help them lose weight.

Number 2: Religion

being extreme about your religion or faith will limit your relationships to that religion or faith

Contrary to popular belief, the best way to spread the word of Jesus is not to actually run around talking about Jesus.

Religion shouldn’t be a numbers game. You shouldn’t be attempting to gain followers by picking up the phone and dialing 1000 people with the hopes that maybe 1 will join you. Chances are even if 1 does join you, you’ve probably created 999 people that resent you.

Don’t go door to door and please stop harassing people in the street. If you have a set of beliefs, share them with people who are interested, if you want people to get interested, then lead by example, stop talking the talk and start walking the walk.

If you religious lifestyle is so great, show us. If you impress enough people, they will get curious. Great salesmen know they aren’t selling a product, they are selling themselves. If people don’t like you, they won’t buy from you.

Number 3: Politics

Minority: Anti-Government / Majority: Pro-Government

If you’re on a wing, left or right, or somewhere in between, or in some new party, or not in any party at all, don’t voice your opinion all the time. The key to politics is to pick your fights.

Telling someone off on facebook or in person isn’t going to result in policy change or even an opinion change. Most people aren’t interested in condescending assholes that think they can solve the problems of the world.

Express your opinions but don’t be extreme. If anything you read actually angers you, you’re probably an extremist.

Here’s some advice: Don’t tear everyone a new asshole by commenting or voicing your opinion and don’t turn a non-political discussion into a political one.

Number 4: Money

Minority: Rich People / Majority: Poor people / Middle Class

The way you make money is not “the way”, it is “your way”. Limit being pushy about people joining your MLM, business, or money making opportunity. If you are walking the walk, driving nice cars, going on vacations, and living in a nice house — it speaks for itself. Those that are truly interested will find you.

When you start reading too much Robert Kiyosaki and listening to audiotapes, it’s almost like you’re uncovering ancient secrets that nobody else knows about. Sadly you’re not. There are a lot of people that already know what you’re hearing and they have already chosen not to act, so leave them alone. Keep what you learn to yourself and those that actually show interest.

Telling everyone that they are doing it all wrong by working for someone else and that they need to get out of the rat race is probably the quickest way to get ignored. Besides, unless you’re living the life, who’s going to listen to you?

MLMs will drive people crazy. The only people making real money are the people at the top and the people at the top are really good at selling themselves, the product or money to be made is really a cover up. Every MLM has the same structure as the normal working society: there’s a top 2%, a middle class, and a bunch of poor people barely making enough to stay in the MLM.

If you have the the ability to succeed in an MLM and rise to the top 2% you had the ability to do it in any other profession or endeavor. Getting there is a mixture of intelligence, creativity, dedication, motivation, and inspiration; the majority of people will never make it because they don’t want it as bad as you did.

Number 5: Hobbies, jobs, or kids

Any extreme into any one area will isolate you from almost everyone outside of that circle or club

Any hobby or job can be taken to the extreme. If all you do is train and talk about running, bamn isolation. If you take your job home with you and it’s all you think about, isolation. If you watch too much TV you probably don’t realize you don’t have any friends, bamn isolation.  Don’t trust anyone to watch your kids, bamn isolation.

Any addiction or activity that takes up the majority of your free time or thoughts will isolate you from others. To the musician, the athlete, the scholar, and the couch potato; if you do not find a balance, nobody else is going to do it for you.

Conclusion

The majority of people don’t like solicitors or telemarketers, that is why they put up signs on their doors and add themselves to a do not call list. I know it’s hard to believe but there are very few people that like to talk to Jehovah’s witnesses or like to buy Kirby Vacuums.

An extremist that can’t keep his nose out of other peoples business or his mouth shut is nothing more than a non-profit telemarketer. You may not think you’re selling anything, but you are. You’re selling your ideas and the cost is your reputation.

If you want to be hated by over 90% of the world, then solicit and market away.

Your conversion and reputation would be much higher if you sold your ideas to an interested and targeted audience.

You can believe what you want. The key is balance; If you aren’t extreme about something, you can fit in, understand, accept, or at least tolerate those that do not share your beliefs.