A few days ago, I mentioned that the internet seemed slow. (Note here that I’m not talking about performance and bandwidth issues. I’m talking about the fact that it seems like way fewer people are online, transacting business, chatting up hookers, etc.)
So I made a proposal: Let’s fire the internet up, at least in our corner of the web. Let’s find something fun to do, to get people livened up.
To paraphrase Jack Nicholson’s Joker, “This internet needs an enema!” (Or, I said, the internet needs meth. Which offended some people, but hey, that’s how I roll, all offensive and shit.)
So people came up with some really neat ideas. The one I liked best was the idea of an internet scavenger hunt. And a lot of other people seemed to like that one, and then my assistant Amy suggested a story contest (since I do that Storyselling thing), and I liked that too, and so I started trying to decide how we could do what, and it seemed all very cool.
And then I stopped.
I knew what it was time to do, even though I hadn’t realized it until that moment. I already had a way lined up to get some stuff moving, but I was sitting on my heels about it. So I had to move it to the front of the line, in front of the hunt and the contest.
It was time to do the Badass Project.
Let’s go back in time a bit.
I love badasses
Some time back, I wrote a post about how if you think you have problems, most of the time you’re actually just a pussy. If you whine about not being able to do something because you’re too young or too old, too black or too white, too poor or too dumb, you’re really just being an uncommitted wimp.
To prove my point, I gave the stories of people who were, by most definitions, facing huge physical handicaps. A blind kid who was a brave and budding athlete. A young man born without arms or legs who could kick your ass. Another blind kid who had learned to see in the way a bat sees the world, by echolocation. A very talented b-boy who happens to get around on crutches.
As time went on, I met other awesome people.
An outdoorsman who spent 36 hours crushed under a boulder, lost both of his legs, and THEN climbed some of the toughest peaks in the world.
An incredibly successful real estate developer and internet mogul who can’t move from the neck down.
And as more people told me that they couldn’t do this or that, or that they were “too something” to get what they wanted, I’d just get more annoyed — even mad. The complainers didn’t know how good they had it. They had the luxury of taking so much for granted. If Jon Morrow could build his many successful businesses using little more than his voice, then nobody who is “able bodied” had any excuse for being truly unable to do almost anything. If they “couldn’t” do something, what that actually meant was that they were deciding it wasn’t important enough to do.
Oh, you’re too tired to accomplish your goals? Fuck you. Warren climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro without legs.
Oh, you think the task is way beyond your abilities? Fuck you. Jon bought, remodeled, and sold million-dollar houses without being able to ever enter them or walk the grounds.
All of these extraordinary people — the ones I’ve gotten to know and the ones I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting — are proof that the impossible is possible. They’re not necessarily out there looking to be inspirational, but they can’t help but be. Their very existence is inspirational.
For years, I’ve referred to all of these people — these folks who were “handicapped” only in the eyes of the world at large — as “badasses.”
How serendipitous.
A few months ago, Jon Morrow tweeted that he wanted to have shirts printed up saying “I’m a badass” and wear one around all the time as a pattern interrupt. You see a guy in a wheelchair, you’ll think twice about pitying him if he identifies himself as a badass.
I swear I didn’t steal the idea of “badass” from Jon. I just guess great minds think alike. And it got me thinking about something I’ve always thought someone should do… that maybe I should do. The thought percolated.
Then I read Chris Guillebeau’s book The Art of Nonconformity this summer, and Chris talks in there about “Legacy work,” about doing something bigger than yourself to leave your mark. And the thought percolated more. Like, it started to get insistent.
So here’s how I’d like to start shaking the internet up. Here’s how I’d like to give it some meth, so to speak.
I want to start a new project, to live at thebadassproject.com. I want it to center on finding these awesome badasses in the world. Eventually, I want to do what my original intent was, which would be to start some kind of a fund or a prize. Like “the Badass Award” or something, to catch badasses being awesome and reward it, to find them doing stuff that makes able-bodied people who complain look like giant pussies.
This is all big-picture stuff. I don’t know how long it will take, and I have only the very vaguest idea of what it will all look like.
All I know for sure is that I don’t want to make a cent off of it. I want to use any site profits to reward badassery, so that there’s more of it. (And so that hopefully some “normal” people will look at said badasses and stop being such huge pussies.)
So what’s the challenge with a charity for badasses? It’s that the badasses don’t really need our help to keep doing what they’re doing. (That’s the point – they’re badasses, and their abilities and tenacity are making us feel lazy.) But they could probably use some help to move to the next level, to transcend doing extraordinary things with the ordinary and begin being more and more.
Badasses should be rewarded for their badassery, so that they can keep becoming more and more, and to keep inspiring others. And as to that reward part? Well, that’s where we come in.
I’m open to suggestions. And to help.
Let’s be realistic. I’m really busy, and I’m also scatterbrained. I want to do this thing, and I want to spearhead it, and I want to write for it, speak about it, and make it happen. But I can’t do it alone. Not by a longshot.
This doesn’t have to happen right now (this is only the earliest of early mentions in the Project’s timeline), but as it does happen, I need help from people who are better organized than I am, and who also want to donate their time. (Not looking to pay people here. You’d have to be in it for the love of badassery.)
I need people who are good at managing to help manage things. I need people with project minds to help assemble the project. I’d like it to be a community effort. I’ll be bugging some of you I know about the possibility of donating design and other stuff you do best.
(And let’s go ahead and be 100% honest, I suppose. I’m an idea guy, and I have big notions. But I also know my ability to manage multiple projects at once, and it’s not good. What I’m really hoping is that as this starts rolling, someone with a lot of heart and drive will want to take it on as the project head, or be part of a group of project heads. If it’s left in my hands to run, it’ll die. I’m hoping someone who wants to be part of a big, cool thing will take the helm, and it’ll become my favorite, pet charity rather than something I’m dotting I’s and crossing T’s on day-to-day.)
But that’s big picture. We don’t need to worry about all of that yet.
Right now, I’m sort of just preliminarily announcing this in the vaguest of ways. But if anyone is chomping at the bit to help as it starts rolling, drop me a line.
Let’s leave our own legacies. Let’s change some lives.
I’m interested, and I’m known for being someone that “makes things go.” Put me on your list of potential minions. This is a really important project that will clear up a lot of misconceptions about where true disability lies…having known many badasses, I can say it’s not in a missing arm or leg or a paralyzed body. What a great legacy to aim for!
Dude. You have just awesomified yourself beyond stellar proportions. You’re IN. You’re ON. Count me as a member, subscriber, slave, whatever you want, it’s your call. Yes, I’ll marry you if that’s what it takes.
This idea is the first truly rocking thing I’ve seen in months.
I think this is brilliant.
I’d write more, but I’m kinda choked up.
I don’t have words for how awesome something like this is.
One of the best ideas I have heard this year..Johnny you da man.
“TrafficColeman “Signing Off”
I like the idea but I’m not too sure where I would fit in.
I’m a writer by profession and I’ve played with social media to promote my band but that’s at a relatively basic level.
Having said that, I’m sure that in the grand scheme of things, I’d be able to contribute something.
Count me in and keep me posted.
You could title this, “when a badass becomes a goodass.”
I’ve got some ideas.
This idea ROCKS!
Dude, I am IN. I’m a big picture guy like you, but with full-blown, insufferable ADD, so minutia isn’t my strong suit. But I’m a writer and editor by trade, so I do manage people, projects, and words pretty effectively, as long as people smarter, more organized, and better looking are the ones I’m working with. Which is to say, most people. . . .
Consider me onboard in whatever capacity you need. Sounds like an awesome way to not only honor badasses, but almost more importantly, kick mediocrity in the ass to help kick-start more badassery. You can never have enough assery.
I’ll play. I participated in a scavenger hunt before, and even won a prize
The easiest way to do this, is to ask several badasses, which is apparently one word 
, write a post, and then give a clue how to find the next post. At the end, a form to fill out to win or download something of value and to reward badassery. Which is apparently not a word 
You got it! Jot me down, as well.
Plenty I could contribute – I suppose I’ll hone up on all my skills including everything from Bobbing for Grapefruit to Rug Weaving (just in case).
Great minds…
Johnny, I’m right behind you on this.
The Western World feels a little, well, flat, at the moment. Folks are looking for inspiration, energy, excitement, enthusiasm. Let’s bloody well give it to them!
I’m not brilliant on managing projects, but I can write and I’m not afraid to kick the world in the ass. If you can use a little of that, just rope me in.
My uncle had muscular dystrophy and was stuck in a wheelchair as long as I can remember. He died about 2 years ago now. In his last few weeks I would say at least 100 people came by to see him because he impacted their life in some way.
They went in to see him and to encourage him as he was dying. Makes sense… only instead he spent the time encouraging them!!!! Every single person came out of his room almost crying because of the words he spoke and the prayers he said over them. He was one heck of a man up to the end.
Thank you for all you do Johnny, let me know how I can help.
I love your idea. I love that you are able to recognize your ADD and ask for help. OK, I’m timid and shy and what you are asking makes me want to cry, but I have three sons who are badasses. They live every day with neurological problems that would make me want to quit, but they keep on trying. So, I guess I can step out a little and volunteer to ….well, I’m not sure what I could do, but keep me on your helper list and as the project progresses we’ll see what comes up that I can do.
Blessings to you and all those dear to you,
Carolyn
Kudos X1000 Johnny,
I’ll stay posted … because this ninja would love to offer any help that I can, whether it be copywriting, content strategy or just knifing motherfathers who get in the way of ultimate badassery.
Hey man — i love this — this is what’s classifies the hero’s journey –
(it’s what i wrote about last week when i profiled you on my post about making your mark in history…) anyway, i think this is destined as one of the world’s greatest quotes of like the month:
“Oh, you’re too tired to accomplish your goals? Fuck you. Warren climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro without legs.”
Love and rockets in Vegas…. cheers
p.s. count me in, i love this. Not much for organizizing but down to do what i can — write, talk, throw in ideas, find cool peeps, yaddadadddda
p.s. count me in. Not much for organizizing but down to do what i can — write, talk, throw in ideas, find cool peeps, yaddadadddda
So true. Been coming across my old Chicken Soup books, and my fave of them all, Cynthia Kersey’s Unstoppable.
It is way past time for something like this!!!
Not sure where I’d fit in either, but I’ll keep tabs and see what/where/how etc. as things go along.
Btw, thnx for the personal punt in the tailfeathers. Some bad habits were creeping back in – thnx for the reminder that there is a HUGE b-s factor in there.
Johnny,
Where do you draw the line for who qualifies for The Badass Project? Is it just people who are disabled, or does it include other sorts of handicaps, difficulties, adverse circumstances, or impossible odds?
What about someone who grew up in the ghetto without a penny to her name, and then became successful?
What about someone who was struck by lightning, or got cancer, or somesuch, then went on to become awesome?
What about Amy Hoy?
What about me? I wouldn’t put myself in the same league as Jon Morrow et al., but transition was certainly no picnic.
I don’t personally care one way or the other where you choose to draw the line, I’m just wondering if you’ve thought about it already. (:
Helping the badasses of the world! What a great project!
)
Though I wonder how to “help” without making them less badass, as you said, they don’t need special help in the first place.
Exposure is in, that’s for sure, but the rest…?
In any case, great stuff!
(while reading this article I couldn’t help but think all the time about Sam & Dean Winchester from the TV series Supernatural, they’re also what I consider badass, though they’re not real, and they’re able-bodied most of the time… Oh, well
I’ve been thinking about this project all day, just letting it sit in the back of my mind. It seems to me that this isn’t about “helping” the badasses (who are probably busy and don’t need it thankyouverymuch), but more about simply acknowledging them. It might even be about handing over the microphone and seeing what we have to learn from them, about recognizing how much they have learned that we never knew existed because we’ve never run up against it. I don’t think of it as a charity, but as a stage, where the whole rest of the world gets a chance to learn. You’re not looking to hand things to them (even if monetary prizes happen to be awarded, it doesn’t seem like that’s really the point). You’re in a position to call attention, to give them a place from which to command respect. Doesn’t seem like a badass would need any more, or deserve any less. And they might just be charitable enough to share their ideas with the rest of us wimps, if we ask nicely enough.
Hey, Johnny!
Wow! I love this idea. And I like the idea that there are monetary rewards. Often, being a badass requires special equipment (voice-activated computers, differently designed prosthetics, etc.). Those things can be horribly expensive.
I would also propose that part of the critertia is that they be unknown or little-known badasses. We already know about the cross-country runner with a prosthetic leg and all those heroes who beat cancer and go on to do amazing things. If they’re already in the public eye, they’re most probably getting donations on their own.
I’d volunteer to help, but I’m one of those people who need to be kicked in the ass to get moving on sharing my gifts I’ve been called to share, and (I’m ashamed to admit) haven’t yet. Your post is only one of many signs lately. Thanks for helping get me to “critical mass.”
Annie
Dude, I’m in too.
I’ll confess right now to being two things: one the first leg of my transformational journey from a “nobody” to someone with pride in himself and what he does and also one of the pussies you talked about.
I’ll readily admit that I’ve got a massive problem with my self-esteem which causes me to impose my own failures before I even get started with my ideas, but that all changed recently, (mostly after going to the ProBlogger meet in Melbourne and meeting Jade Craven.)
As someone who has grown up with an auntie with Down Syndrome who is more morally sound and lives a ‘better’ life than many people we all know, a younger brother with mild cerebral palsy that is living out of home independently and doing it well, and knowing a great bunch more ‘disabled’ people in my life that are just rocking life where others (me) flail pathetically like a classic t.v. slap fight, I just had to say that this idea is awesome.
I don’t know what i can offer – I’ve a really bad habit of offering help when I am already doing too much, but it’s a vision that I share. Let me know when and how, call on me, and I’ll come and see what i can do to help bring this forward.
Cheers man,
Laneth.
I’ll help out in anyway I can. Finding more badasses in the world is just cool.
Kind sir, I rock at managing projects.
Also, I write about such people as you are looking for here: http://tinyurl.com/yl3hkom
I can hook you up with badasses.
Email me and let me know if I can help with the site’s overarching vision and purpose, project management, or content.
Hi Johnny !
This is an awesome idea, I really think this idea could work really well.
Few questions :
1) How can we judge what is badass enough and what isn’t ?
2) Is there a king of “scale of badassery” ?
3) What is the most important : reward the badasses for what they have already done, or incentivise them to do more, or (better i.m.o) or to help other to the same as them ?
4) And what about the wussies ? How will the Cult of badassery help them ?
I don’t have answers to these questions, but I think they may be of interest.
I’m also kind of overbooked, and you know my poor english skills, but If you think I could be of any use (I know my way around Internet marketing and email marketing), you have my email, it would be a pleasure to help to build that with you !
All the best,
Dushan
Badasses helping other badasses is pretty awesome. A live forum (voip, irc or whateve’) then turned article as a reward would be more than enough for me.
I’m in! I can help with writing, research, or anything analytical. Fun, fun, fun!
YEA hey there johhny truant,
I am a blind old man who lives in a room that seems to be bigger on the inside than it appears from the outside. I have a book written on scraps and wonder if you would be intersted in such a thing? I think its pretty bad ass.
Hey Johnny, love your blog – found via etsy, wanted to hook up with ya on twitter, but your follow me on twitter over there on your sidebar *points* isn’t working. No link, daddio.
Just FYI.
ta.
Erika–
A thought in regards to your comment. I think you are right to avoid labeling obstacle-overcomers as needing help. But I don’t know that casting them as more illuminated than other people is particularly helpful for them or for our humanity either.
It’s a fine line, isn’t it? How do we celebrate and honor people without objectifying them?
I think it’s most constructive when profiling people or celebrating their achievements to let people speak as the hero of their own story, as told to other heroes. Every one of us is on our own hero’s journey.
Coming from a place of recognizing and honoring the bold choices of others as though they were our brothers and keeping in mind there might be something of ourselves in them (either how we are or how we might be) both demonstrates respect for their work and gives us greater resolve to walk our own paths well.
I guess I’m not really thinking of badasses as more illuminated than the rest of us, but rather illuminated in a different way or to a greater extent. Anyone who has overcome an obstacle will have a degree of enlightenment, and anyone who has to overcome a challenge that others take for granted will have something to teach. I personally think that I have a lot to learn from someone who gets out of bed every day and trains to swim the English channel (or what have you) despite severe disability. There is so much discipline and determination in that, and I don’t think that it’s something that the average person can match in their everyday life. Sure, I face challenges and they seem pretty big to me, but they look pretty small in the light of what others have had to face.
To me it’s not objectifying to be awed by someone’s greatness. I can still recognize that greatness in myself, though if I’m talking to an Olympic level athlete I might acknowledge that they have gone farther and seen more than I ever will. I believe that I could get there if I chose to or if I must, but I also know that I probably won’t unless it’s required of me.
I suppose some part of my comment was recoiling at the use of the word “charily.” Honor given in charity isn’t a true celebration, and I don’t think it’s what a true badass would want (having known several myself). Too often, I’ve seen people “celebrate” the accomplishments of the disabled with an air of condescension rather than real equality (I don’t think that’s what I’m seeing here, but I think it’s important to guard against it anytime you are dealing with someone that is differently abled than you are). Sure, this is about greatness recognizing greatness, and I agree that we’re all heroes in our own story, but I also think it’s important sometimes to simply stand in quiet recognition of someone else’s success and see what you have to learn from it. In that regard, this seems less about /giving/ a prize or general recognition, and more about how much we have to /receive/ from hearing what the badasses of the world have to say.
Sorry…that comment was longer than it looked in the preview window. Didn’t mean to hijack…
Johnny! I’ve been a follower and not a commenter for some time now.
BUT NOW, I write!
This project idea, and all the subsequent ideas/questions/discussions from your community have me intrigued. I’m a college student, I’m a baby nanny and I’m an awesome girlfriend; needless to say I’m busy. When I do find spare time I use it productively, and I want my spare time to be used productively to help you out.
I can write, I can organize, I can spearhead and I can always learn new things from people who know way more about this stuff than me. I’m also in Central Canada … so, we got polar bears and igloos and stuff which … might be useful … somehow.
But seriously: I’m good at stuff, so give me some stuff to do (and you other people, feel free to troubleshoot off me, I am great at telling people that they should just go ahead and do whatever it is they want to do — if you tend to overindulge, don’t come to me asking if you can have just 5 more turns on the merry-go-round, you will end up barfing and blaming me).
Cheerio!
-L
I’ll take that challenge! Let me make sure I tank up on cotton candy first
Okay, well, this post served its purpose because this is a shitload of activity, and besides this, I also still can’t catch up totally on my email from when I was in Vegas for Blogworld. Weird.
Anyway, I’m not going to respond to each and every one of you, so I’d like to offer a blanket THANKS, YOU ARE AWESOME to everyone who’s offered their support, both here and via the many emails I’ve gotten. I’ve flagged and tagged you and will hopefully be in touch once this gets rolling, which, as promised, may not be all that fast. But all the support has me really motivated on it for sure.
A few quick comments:
@Pace – I did think about that, actually. And at least for now, I’ll probably limit it to physical handicaps just because charities niche just like the rest of us does! Don’t get me wrong… people who grew up in the shit and got out of it are awesome, but I have to start somewhere and need to focus, not broaden. There are tons of deserving folks but I can never help them all regardless, so we’ll see what happens.
@Erica – That’s part of the dilemma I mentioned at the end there… I’m reluctant to do charity as something condescending. I just want to reward them somehow, for being visibly awesome and a clearly obvious inspiration (contrasting with the many inspirational people that you won’t know are inspirational without a lot of time and reading and discussion) . I don’t see them as more enlightened… just people who were given something really terrible and a corresponding choice whether to fold or not. And who chose to be normal instead of being victims.
Oh, and Zampano… just want to acknowledge that I see what you did there.
@ Jessa – It’s fixed!
here’s a badass goddess putting her hand up for the count!
@iGoddess – Hey Anita, fancy meeting you here!
@Laneth I’ve come out of the BADASS closet Laneth! LOL. Hey I love your about.me page – very cool. This is so badass of us to hijack the comments thread like this.
@iGoddess – different sort of Badass than what Johnny was talking about, but yeah. Thanks btw, re: about.me
Very cool Johnny. I like – and to anyone who starts to head this up I’m open to contributing design. I’m a pretty poor multiple project organizer – but I can offer help if it’s requested.
Hey, Johnny;
This is a great idea. Look how far you’ve come, and how quickly you’ve come to giving back! Congratulations to you.
I met Warren MacDonald a few years ago – he’s definitely a badass. So is one of my clients, a young businessman, motivational speaker and Paralympic medal-winning athlete who’s been blind since birth: http://donovanspeaks.com
These people inspire us to be more, to reach for more than we’ve previously dared, and I think the best way to honor them (and help the rest of us) is to offer them a brighter spotlight to stand in. Perhaps your idea will evolve into a speaker’s bureau-like repository of badasses.
It would be great to bring more badass role models to high schools – if you’ve seen Nick Vujicic’s videos where he speaks to kids, you’ll know what I mean. Otherwise, check out the upper right corner video at http://attitudeisaltitude.com, or look him up on YouTube.
Anyhow, I can project manage, but it sounds like that’s amply covered. So count me in for writing, proofreading, SEO stuff… my availability is feast or famine, but I’ll find ways to fit in some help.
Wow, what a great couple of examples! Thanks so much, and we’ll put you in the hopper to help out too.
This is so awesome. I need to subscribe to these comments…
If you need anyone to do grunt work here, I’d be happy to help. Just shoot me an email and I’ll see what I can do.
Thanks man, we’ll let you know!
Wow! Overwhelming response here! I’m excited
I need a Flake certificate. I’m a certified flake without papers. A WOP Flake. Can someone make me legal?