10 Charlie Sheen Quotes You Can Use to Improve Your Life

Posted on March 2, 2011 by admin

Oh, Charlie Sheen. How the mighty do fall. Once a prominent movie star and lately the highest-paid actor on TV, Sheen's been everywhere (seriously, everywhere) the past few days, talking to anyone who will listen about his newfound worldview and, apparently, superpowers. There's a sad irony to the whole thing, too, because Sheen has gone totally raisin cakes and said stuff that would be hilarious and brilliant if it weren't for the fact that he's kind of a bipolar nutbar with a history of substance and spousal abuse. He's now the funniest guy in Hollywood, but he's also off his rocker. Still, that doesn't mean there isn't a grain of truth to the stuff he's said. In fact, with the right spin and outlook — and without, you know, all the coke and porn stars — some of his statements can be downright profound. If you find yourself looking for advice or guidance, maybe it's time to attend the school of Wild Thing:

1. "Defeat is not an option:" That's just the power of positive thinking, pure and simple. Sure, Sheen said it in the context of not wanting to back down from his willingness to fight Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre in a specially made octagon or his desire to take over CBS, but forget about that. If you actually approach your daily routine and special engagements with the right kind of can-do attitude, you'll be amazed at the way your perspective changes. It's all about confidence.
2. "I think everybody's got a black belt and a gun, so I don't get in anybody's business:" Again, it's all about self-preservation. From time to time, there will be people in your life that rub you the wrong way, and it will probably occur to you to try and lash out at them (like, uh, Sheen is kind of doing), but don't do it. Assume that those around you are bigger and stronger, and realize that confrontations, especially the physical kind, are never the answer.
3. "I don't live in the middle anymore. That's where you get slaughtered:" Sheen's context makes it clear he's talking about not making any kind of compromises when it comes to his personal relationships: "Either you love or you hate, and you must do so violently." It's probably for the best to drop the violent-love part and just go with the advice about not living in the middle. When not taken to its Sheenian extreme, it's actually a sound lesson about the wisdom of committing yourself to someone and to understanding that a bad influence in your life is something that needs to be recognized and eliminated. Think of it as Tony Robbins on the drug of Charlie Sheen.
4. "I'm so tired of pretending my life isn't perfect and bitching and just winning every second. And [that] I'm not perfect and bitching and just delivering the goods at every frickin' turn:" On one hand: huh? On the other: right on! Sheen's statement to "The Alex Jones Show" was one of the many that kicked off his spate of press appearances, and though it comes dressed in a kind of tired condescension, it's actually got some good points to make. It's all about being satisfied with what you have and aware of your fortune, regardless of what comes your way. Entire religions have been built on this and similar teachings. Count your blessings and be thankful.
5. "The moment's over. It doesn't exist. We gotta get into right here, right now:" Sheen is all about extended metaphors now: his longer version of the admonition against dwelling on the past includes a sarcastic command to bring back the ashtray and Swisher Sweet from your dad's office if you successfully time travel via telepathy (?) to the childhood moment that birthed your present traumas. Still, ranting aside, Sheen's onto something with this one. Obsessing over the past is the surest way to avoid the present. We all have huge, painful things from our past, but the only way forward is to learn from those moments and deal with them if they come up again.
6. "You have the right to kill me, but you do not have the right to judge me. Boom. That's the whole movie. That's life:" In other words, haters gonna hate. People will always find a way to make moral judgments about you and your actions without knowing all the facts or history behind the situation; real life can be an awful lot like high school sometimes. It's annoying and unavoidable. But it's best to remember that the uninformed judgment of strangers isn't worth sweating in the least. Take care of yourself and your own, and focus on what matters. Let the gossips do their thing. Just make sure they aren't gossiping about you getting high with porn stars. Those stories are hard to shake.
7. "I'm here, and I'm ready. They're not. Bring it:" Simple, direct, and no real need to get fancy, this one's all about having a take-charge attitude. Half of winning, after all, is just showing up. Granted, Sheen's approach is a little shoot-from-the-hip, but still, points for being proactive, right?
8. "It's been a toxic environment for eight years. I've felt like an unwelcome relative being given cold coffee at 9 o'clock every night, and I just got tired of it:" Sheen's attacks against the working environment of CBS' Two and Half Men are a big part of what got him in trouble with the network and prompted them to pull the plug on production for the season. However, the veracity of those claims aside, he makes a good point about the emotional toll of working in a "toxic environment." Some jobs are dreams, and others are unpleasant with a few rewards. Sometimes, though, you might find yourself working in such a dysfunctional, unhappy place that it starts to affect your physical and mental health. If you have the chance to do so, bail. Life's too short to spend it hating your job that much. You'll instantly see an increase in your overall happiness and a drop in your stress levels.
9. "I closed my eyes and made it so, with the power of my mind:" Now, it should go without saying that treatment groups like Alcoholics Anonymous do work for a lot of people, and that rehab facilities have saved a lot of lives. If you've got a chemical dependency problem, you are probably not going to be able to wish it into the cornfield and go on about your day. Yet Sheen's rant has a kernel of truth to it in terms of the power of positive thinking and how it can affect our lives. Many seemingly difficult processes — losing weight, changing careers, etc. — start with a simple decision, and they become that much easier when we realize that we have it in us to make those changes right away. Seek help when you need it, but know that a lot is within your control. Cheesy but true.
10. "I'm sorry man, I got magic and I've got poetry in my fingertips, you know, most of the time, and this includes naps. I'm an F-18, bro:" Uh, be confident? Take pride in your work? Act like a top-level warplane? This one's admittedly a bit too Sheenian for most people, and not even the most generous reading can make it make sense. So let's go meta: rather than try and apply the statement to your life, try instead to emulate the energy and passion with which Sheen delivered it, and the spirit of uncompromising confidence it captures.

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.     

(source:   The E-Advisor Blog)

=================================================