A funny story about my youth, and an important reminder about this game…
In my late teens, I had a good friend, Andy W.
When I first saw him pull off his side hustle in a pub, I knew we would be mates.
His hustle worked like this…
… Find a bunch of old men and make a bet.
“I bet you £10 that you can hit my left ball… with a spoon… as hard as you like and I won’t make a sound.”
Greedy and intrigued, they always took the bait.
So Andy’s left ball would get whipped out and put on the table.
The mark would stand up, shrug his shoulders, wind up…
… Then – bang they’d pound Andy’s ball to a pulp.
He’d stay silent.
They’d look bemused.
Andy would his king’s ransom and be on his merry way.
The trick?
Well, when Andy was a kid he got in a bike accident.
An over-the-handle-bars-into-traffic job.
He was ok.
Apart from his left ball.
That couldn’t be saved.
The surgeon replaced it with a plastic prosthetic for ‘balance.’
And in our youth, that plastic ball made him (and me) a small fortune.
Was it a con?
Probably.
Although I’d have you consider, the sort of man that’s willing to punch a stranger in the balls deserves what he gets.
Either way, it reminded me of One Man Empire Iron Law #73:
Always stack the deck in your favour.
Until next time,
Make More. Provide More. Be More.
Charlie Hutton
