Chapter 2 The Meaning of “Squat”

By Chuck Marshall 

Chapter 2:  The Meaning of "Squat"

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."  

William Shakespeare “Romeo and Juliet”

What You’ll Learn:  The meaning of squat and how important it is to your destiny as a rich person. 

As it is used here, the word squat is referring to the slang “diddly squat”.  Which as defined in dictionary.com as;  “a minimum amount or degree; the least bit (usually used in the negative): This coin collection isn't worth doodly-squat in today's market.  Also, “Diddly” . 

Basically, in this case I mean “a very small amount of effort”.  Another example;  “I watched TV all day long;  I didn’t do squat”.  The very minimum of activity.  So it’s not the absence of action, it’s simply a modicum of action.  Barely moving.  Consider the US Congress on a typical day or a litigation attorney whose been asked to do a presentation on scruples.   A city commissioner the month after elections.  A convenience store employee that’s been told to “hurry”.   My kids when I ask him to clean up their room, etc.., etc…. You get the idea.

Point of Interest:  Often road construction workers can be seen “not doing squat”.  Their presentation of “not even squat” is that they lean against a shovel while they watch the “get ‘er done” suckers struggle with the manhole cover, or sewer water, or whatever.  But of course, none of them is going to get rich so I only bring this up as an example or point of interest. 

There are some talented people that are expert at appearing to do squat when they really don’t do diddly squat.  I have worked with such people as I’m sure many of you have as well.  I marvel at the skill of these people!  The really good ones act and speak as if they’re doing much more than diddly squat, but truly they don’t do squat.  Usually the only one that they fool is the only one they need to fool, the boss !  I worked with one such person who was consulted on a regular basis by the boss who was convinced not only that this guy did  “much more than squat”,  but he also convinced him that he knew “much more than squat” when actually neither was the case.  This guy neither did squat ‘nor did he know squat but (and this is a big but), he had the boss convinced the very opposite.  What a talent ! 

There are some people who are painfully bad at not doing diddly squat.  These people don’t do anything but everyone around them knows it.  Always busily planning,  plotting and talking (lots of talking) and considering, but never actually accomplishing….... squat.  This is not to be admired !  Not only are they not getting rich but they’re also not getting away with their laziness.  The only person they fool is themselves.  Bad Squat !

     Warning !  Squat as an exercise.  As it turns out, in weight lifting or bodybuilding there is an exercise called “the squat”.  Believe me it is as bad as it sounds when relating it to the self- torture that these musclemen put their poor bodies through.  In this exercise, the exerciser (or would it be the excercisee?) hoists a great amount of weight (sometimes over 500 lbs !) on to their shoulders from a rack (not unlike the rack used in torture chambers back in the middle ages) and then they proceed to (on purpose, now) lower their bodies down half-way to the floor in to a squat, and then they stop in mid-air and push their bodies (with the weight still on their back) and the exerciser is back to standing.  Then, they proceed to do this repeatedly, as if once wasn’t enough !  The consequence is they “pump” their thighs up as the muscle is understandably upset and throbbing after the torture, er  “exercise”.   Anyway, this is a miserable and heinous exercise that should be avoided at all costs !  It is the antithesis of the GRNDS philosophy in which much is attained with little to no effort. 

     Point of Interest:  Arnold Schwarzenegger, the famous  ex-governor of California and Hollywood blockbuster actor got his start with bodybuilding and built voluminous thighs measuring 28” around (as big as many people’s waists) by doing this exercise.   He won the Mr. Olympia contest (the superbowl of bodyduilding) 5 times !  Arnold went on to star as “Hercules in New York”,  a God-awful film with really bad dubbing that is a hoot to watch.  Laugh as much as you want because then he was featured in “Pumping Iron”,  a documentary about bodybuilding which brought him recognition and  a taste of Fame.   His breakthrough role was as “Conan” in  “Conan the Barbarian” -still not a very good film but it was popular and gained him real fame.  If you look at GRNDS principle #1,  you know what that means.   The rest is history, and now  ex-Governor Arnold owns half of Southern California.    You could honestly say that Arnold got rich DOING squat.

Summary for Chapter 2: 

1.       Squat as a verb is a modicum of action

2.      Squat as a noun is non-existent accomplishment.

3.      Squat as an exercise is hell.

4.      Diddly squat, doodly squat, and squat by itself are all basically the same thing.