5 Incredible Traits of the Joker that Everyone Should Have
// August 23rd, 2008 // No Comments » // Personal Development
The Joker in The Dark Night invokes intense emotions. He is quite the force for Batman to fight because of his overwhelming personality. But, the question comes to mind what makes the Joker so successful? He might be the villain, but I find many admirable things about him. Here is a list of traits that each of us might take note of.
1. Money doesn’t buy happiness
The moment I saw the Joker burn his money I knew there was a deep lesson in him. Can you ever say that you would do that? Now, we must remember the Joker was a wee bit insane; however the Joker showed that his actions provided enough pleasure rather than the profit. He had found his calling in life which gave him enough happiness that money couldn’t buy. He only needed the little things in life (bullets and explosives). Is there anything in your life that you would be willing to not make much money doing? Could you follow your dream of photography if it meant that you would only be making enough to live on? Your dreams might cost you money, but they might make you far happier than money.
2. Passion
Passion separates the novice from the expert. This is the secret ingredient to success. If you are passionate (obsessed) enough then you can achieve it. The Joker easily shows his passion to cause chaos. He has nothing else to do but cause chaos. He doesn’t work 9 to 5 and save his trouble making time until the weekend. He drops everything and follows his dream. He lives for the games he plays. He is able to do anything because he is passionate enough to do anything to achieve his goals. When have you found something to be that passionate about? Did you drop –everything- for it? It seems unrealistic to give up life for a passion, but look around you. The Olympics are almost over, but each of those people has a passion. They do try to train for the Olympics after work. They don’t only devote an hour a day to training. They go full force, and they become the best in the world. The same is true for people like Bobby Fischer. He didn’t play chess a few games a day. He lived for chess. When he wasn’t playing chess, he was thinking about chess. Imagine what you could do if you were that passionate with something you love
3. Best to not try if you will give up
The Joker doesn’t decide to give up once he is thrown in jail. He doesn’t give up when he can’t seem to get to Batman. He keeps on trying. He states that he will keep up this game with Batman until the end. He doesn’t allow setbacks to deter him. He gets foiled, but he just gets up with a laugh and goes out to do it again. Failure is just a process that leads to success if you keep trying. You can’t expect to succeed in every endeavor the first time; instead you can expect to gain ground if you keep trying. You lose a game, so play again and you keep playing until you win. If you are thinking of starting your own business then you have to be able to take the failures. You will have to keep adjusting until you start making a profit. Failure isn’t forever.
4. Creativity can go a long way
You can’t expect to cause terror in a whole city with a simple gun or shooting. You have to do things that aren’t expected and will be exciting. This is how the best people will make success for them. They make a new path. Robbing a bank? Why not use a school bus to blend in. If the Joker would have used a normal getaway then he would have been caught. The best things are possible if you are able to be creative and apply new ideas to old techniques. You can make money from home, so why not think of a creative way to make more money from home. Perhaps you find a better product to market from home. You have to set yourself from the rest of the group in order to achieve more. You have to find creative ways to achieve your dreams, because sometimes you won’t have the choice otherwise. You can’t afford to spend a month in Europe? Get creative and decide to get a contact in Europe and offer your services, such as finding a person that needs someone to clean their house and they have an extra room. You have enough money to eat on and entertain yourself, but the cost of finding a room is harder. You just solved that problem with a creative approach instead of just getting a cheap hotel room. Find a new path when everyone else is treading the same old path.
5. A laugh can go a long way
An article about the Joker isn’t complete without mentioning laughter. He doesn’t get stressed out. He finds the fun in each situation. He is so entertaining because he is always in a joking mood. This is his character, but it makes sense. He is able to have fun and play his games. He truly enjoys what he does, which is shown. He can laugh when others wouldn’t laugh. He can laugh in the face of death. He always finds a reason to have a laugh. I think we could all use a little laughter a bit more. If we take ourselves too seriously then we will miss enjoying life. You are wasting your life being depressed when you could be happy. You can still find the funny things in the worst situations. Life is funny, so why so serious?
I am not suggesting that anyone should try to copy the Joker. His actions aren’t admirable, but his personality traits are something that should be examined. He is able to be the villain that you can’t help but feel in awe of. He does a better job than Batman in invoking emotion, I think. So, think a little about these traits and see if you can apply any to your life. Go out and find your passion, and please have a laugh while doing it.
