When I first started to learn about marketing, I read All Marketers are Liars, by Seth Godin.
He is responsible for pioneering the concept of permission marketing which virtually every business and brand does in some form or fashion today.
I share this because “Tell Stories Not Lies” is informed by that book. His point is that marketers tell stories that make us believe something about a product or service and we voluntary choose one product or service over another largely because of that story.
Liquid Death is just water. But the story is that water in a can is more environmentally friendly and that water can be counter cultural and edgy, not just for athletes.
Seth clarifies the idea in this way:
"Here's the first half of the simple summary: We believe what we want to believe, and once we believe something, it becomes a self-fulfilling truth."
So what happens when we turn the stories on ourselves? Our hopes and dreams?
What if, like my friend and fellow podcaster Omar Medrano says, What if it Did Work?
The danger is when what we believe is B.S.
How do we keep from lying to ourselves?
Put simply, value the truth.
As Proverbs 3:3 says, wear kindness and truth like a necklace, and 3:7, to not depend on our own wisdom.
Give the benefit of the doubt. Trust but verify. Be objective. Surround ourselves with people of integrity.
Let's use data like a flashlight to light the way on our journey, not a hammer to punish ourselves.
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”
― Maya Angelou
