We live our lives believing there are sharply defined and crystal clear moments of truth. Moments when we are struck with an epiphany and have to change something in our worlds. And myth has it that these earth shattering slices of time prompt us to dramatically change who and what we are.
But the fact is, we tend to camouflage the epiphanies, tuck them away in the recesses of our minds, and even deny their veracity or their very existence.
We convince ourselves that all will be fine. And so often we do nothing, turning the moments of truth into moments of lies. We do this in our business lives, our personal lives and the lives that are a fusion of both because:
- What was once good, was so good, we don’t want to admit that it no longer holds that high ground. So we just don’t face it.
- The strategy we created before taking a new product to market seemed so brilliant on the drawing board but failed in the real world. But, we say, something may change tomorrow. Magic may happen. The strategy was too ingenious to fail. But in the fleeting moment of truth, it did fail. And in the moment of lies, we just don’t face it.
- The investments we make in anything- a marketing campaign, a new technology, a sister company- may look like a sure thing at the outset. A slam-dunk. And then the champagne goes flat and the losses accumulate and it’s that moment of truth time to take our hit and sell, but we just don’t face it. Moment of truth to moment of lies.
- We haven’t had a new idea in years, and our company or our career trajectory reflects this. So it’s time to think and dream and come up with that new insight that will effect real change. Unless we do, we are hopelessly sliding down the arc of a has been. Painful moment of truth. But, hey, I still have my job and people still buy from my company, so…I’ll get to it. Moment of lies.
There are no paint by numbers instructions to living a great life. To making a difference. The whole chain of neutrons and protons is too complex for that. But, we can make a difference by keeping the moments of truth from turning to the moments of lies:
- Recognize that these moments of truth are pathways to change.
- Don’t fear change. It will happen to you no matter how much you seek to avoid it. It is simply whether you control the agenda or you blow in the wind.
- Use the change you engage in to exceed anything you have ever done before. To be wiser and tougher and more creative.
James Taylor wrote, “The secret to life is enjoying the passage of time.” And learning from it. And turning the learning into action.
Mark Stevens
CEO
How have you kept your moments of truth from turning into moments of lies?
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I think in a lot of cases the tricky part is that when we really see something as it is, there is a compulsion to act. When you have a moment of truth and really understand the world as it is, that usually carries with it a deep expectation of action, and sadly most of the time it means acting in a way different from our normal approach.
It’s crucial that we are authentic in our approach, sadly easier said than done.
It’s interesting stuff that you’re exploring here. It’s a little like the work I do here at The Harwood Institute.
http://www.theharwoodinstitute.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/6626
This is a good post although i’m not really convinced of your generalities it’s a good subject to ponder.
from what I’ve seen, not everybody is stuck in the mud… although everybody may at times get stuck, for some, it’s a simple matter of getting out and pushing while others may just spin their tires down to the nubs… some people will avoid muddy ruts because they can predict getting stuck…
In my experience, I have found their are moments of truth that may only pertain to a particular time or event in your life and than their are more universal moments of truth… those times that the truth holds true for you and everybody else … the ones that hold true for every situation and circumstance… the kind that you can use daily for the rest of your life… Like a new tool that is right for the job…
When we recognize these truth’s, and don’t act, it’s not necessarially and sumarially assumed people are denying them… (their could be legitimate reasons not to change) and while some people may be inspired to tuck them away in the back recesses of their minds others may as easially be inspired to change their lives and just go with their new knowledge and see where it takes them…
I agree with your assessment about some people willing to lie to themselves or purposely confound their moment of truth with a lot of static in order to dilute it’s importance… but if your the type of person who will lie to yourself lol, than you have no one you can trust and even your most universal truths have to be subject to question. if you can’t trust yourself, you simply can’t trust anything or anyone.
so to keep your universal truth’s from turning into universal lies? I suppose you have to trust yourself… and in order to trust yourself, i suppose you would have to be honest with yourself at all times… seems that would be a good place to start.
Anyway, good topic.
It’s an irony of life that if you don’t trust yourself, no one will trust you.
Mark Stevens
CEO
The truth is a constant – not moments. That’s why anything built on the truth is on a solid foundation and the height. You want a house built on sand – start with a foundation built on lies and false assumptions. The truth is, or should be our “polar north” or our “equator” – a measuring stick of our integrity. Does it slide depending on where we are in life – I don’t think so. I believe we choose to look through the frame or lens that makes our lives bearable or managable.
In “Your Marketing Sucks”, you give examples of why marketing and business is ineffective – isn’t it because the actual truth has been given a hard candy shell that is made to taste good to managers that have feasted on the fact that mediocrity is rewarded in today world?
Sorry – I’m feeling inspried and the caffine in my coffee has taken flight.
Michael
p.s. – Mr. Stevens, your book is the premise of every one of my decisions – this is HUGE since I was just promoted to the Director of Marketing for my company. Thank you for speaking the truth