GirlsGuideTo | How Not to Give a Sh*t

I’d like to take a minute to send up a big thank you to the fearless honey badger for teaching us so many lessons and continuing not to give a sh*t. You see, somewhere around the 30th (300th?) time I watched that hilarious viral video known as "The Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger," it hit me: There is actually some great real-world advice for living fearlessly hidden beneath the silly (ok, slightly annoying) narration. Yes, it's true: If we all lived like the honey badger, we would indeed be more fearless. Or killed by snakes…

Here are four great lessons on fearlessness, taken straight from the video -- plus how you can apple these lessons in the real (i.e., human) world. I’m telling you, the honey badger knows his sh*t.

Lesson No. 1: Don’t Care What Other People Think
“The honey badger has been referred to by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most fearless animal in all of the animal kingdom. It really doesn’t give a shit. It just takes what it wants."

The addiction to what other people think has some serious consequences. You won't be happy because you constantly believe that people are judging you. It becomes easier to stay miserable so everyone else in the status quo will be fine...When you are able to let go of caring about what other people think and make decisions free and clear of other people's opinions, you can easily move forward and make your life awesome on your own terms!

Lesson No. 2: Feel the Pain!
"The honey badger’s really pretty badass. Here’s a house full of bees. You think the honey badger cares? It’s getting stung like a thousand times. It doesn’t give a shit. It doesn’t care about being stung by bees. Nothing can stop the honey badger when it’s hungry."

A lot of the time, we try to find a way to avoid pain. Whether it’s eating a pint of Ben and Jerry’s to numb heartbreak or spending all night vegging on the TV because you don’t want to admit how much you hate your job, it’s all avoidance. Pain can be an incentive to change. So next time you’re hurting, embrace the pain, and work with it. Instead of just watching TV, look for jobs while the Real Housewives entertain you. Instead of spending a night with Ben and Jerry, try to figure out what exactly you want for your next relationship.

Lesson No. 3: Face Your Fears Head On
"Look, here comes a fierce battle between a king cobra and a honey badger. 'Get away from me!' says the snake. Honey badger don’t care. Honey badger smacks the shit out of it."

Despite the very human instinct toward flight (thanks evolution!), it’s better to stop, turn around, and face fear head-on. Embrace it. Running from it only makes it, not you, stronger.

Lesson No. 4: Learn to Bounce Back Fast
"The snake comes back and it lashes right at the honey badger. Little does the honey badger know, fyi, it’s been bitten by the snake. So while it’s eating the snake, meanwhile, the poisonous venom is seeping through the honey badger’s body and it passes out. Now, the honey badger’s just going to pass out for a few minutes, and then it’s going to get right back up and start eating all over again. Like nothing happened! The honey badger gets right back up and continues eating the cobra.”

It’s unavoidable that you’ll face setbacks in your life. We all do. Being resilient is about having the ability to move on from what hasn't worked, staying aware of your awesomeness, and encouraging yourself to keep moving forward. Good outcomes result... from telling ourselves to move on from momentary mistakes, that we can be, and be seen, as competent without being perfect, and that moving forward with our strengths is the path towards success and satisfaction.

{In case you missed the honey badger video, here it is in all it’s glory!}