THE FACEBOOK SNITCH WHO THINKS HE’S SAVING THE INDUSTRY

Or: How to Spot Someone Losing an Imaginary War Against Successful People

By OG Strain

The New York cannabis industry is growing.

You can feel it.

You see it at events. You see it at vendor pop-ups. You see it when people who started with a folding table and a dream are suddenly building legitimate brands, creating jobs, launching products, and putting money back into their communities.

Despite the economy doing its best impression of a dumpster fire, there are people in this industry making things happen.

And do you know what most of those successful people have in common?

They’re helping each other.

They’re networking.

They’re supporting one another’s businesses.

They’re showing up.

They’re collaborating.

They’re sharing opportunities.

They’re building.

Then there’s the other guy.

You know the guy.

Every industry has one.

The human equivalent of a flat tire.

The person who walks into a room and somehow lowers the property value.

The individual whose entire personality consists of bitterness, jealousy, and a deep commitment to never taking responsibility for anything.

Nothing is ever their fault.

Their business failed? Someone sabotaged them.

Nobody wants to work with them? Politics.

Nobody answers their calls? Conspiracy.

Nobody buys their products? The industry is rigged.

Meanwhile, everyone else is looking around wondering if they’ve considered the possibility that they’re simply unpleasant to be around.

Now here’s where things get funny.

Because instead of improving themselves…

Instead of learning…

Instead of networking…

Instead of asking successful people how they achieved what they achieved…

They choose a different path.

They become Facebook Batman.

Not the cool Batman.

The weird Batman.

The Batman whose superpower is reporting posts from his mother’s basement.

While successful people are building brands, attending events, creating content, and making connections, this person is conducting covert operations against social media posts.

Click.

Report.

Click.

Report.

Click.

Report.

Imagine dedicating your life to becoming the hall monitor of the internet.

Imagine seeing someone succeed and thinking:

“Instead of improving my own situation, I’m going to spend the next three hours trying to get their post removed.”

That’s not strategy.

That’s not business.

That’s not activism.

That’s not entrepreneurship.

That’s professional-level loser behavior.

The truth is that successful people generally don’t spend much time obsessing over unsuccessful people.

They’re too busy.

They’re working.

They’re building.

They’re growing.

The people who spend all day staring at somebody else’s success are usually doing so because they don’t have enough of their own.

And that’s the real tragedy.

The New York cannabis community has never had more opportunities.

There are events happening every month.

There are brands looking for partnerships.

There are creators looking for collaborators.

There are businesses looking for good people.

But some individuals would rather spend their energy trying to tear down a ladder than climbing one.

That’s a losing strategy every single time.

The cannabis industry isn’t being built by the people who report posts.

It’s being built by the people who show up.

The people who work hard.

The people who support others.

The people who understand that another person’s success does not take success away from them.

Success is not a pie.

Your neighbor getting a bigger slice doesn’t make yours smaller.

The funny thing is that the people spending all day trying to stop others from winning rarely realize how obvious they are.

Everyone notices.

Everyone sees the negativity.

Everyone sees the jealousy.

Everyone sees the bitterness.

And while they’re busy trying to block someone else’s progress, the rest of the industry keeps moving forward without them.

So here’s a revolutionary idea.

If you’re spending your evenings reporting Facebook posts from people who have never harmed you, maybe close the laptop.

Go outside.

Meet people.

Learn something.

Build something.

Create something.

Contribute something.

Because at the end of the day, the people building businesses are going to keep building businesses.

The people creating opportunities are going to keep creating opportunities.

And the self-appointed internet police force is still going to be sitting there wondering why nobody invited them to the party.

The answer isn’t complicated.

People enjoy being around builders.

Nobody enjoys being around wrecking balls.

And that’s why one group keeps growing while the other keeps refreshing Facebook.