Step 1: Start with the truth…

I have a habit of selling myself out in interviews…

…I don’t know what that says about me…

I had an interview this week and they asked me what my close friends would say about me.

Now, this was an opportunity to brag, obviously.

But I actively avoid bragging on myself – because introversion.

However, I am fine reiterating things that others have said about me.

The kicker, though, is that I didn’t stop at the good parts. I tried to be honest about the negative things people have said about me, too. For example, I have a bad habit of letting everything build up and letting myself get overly stressed out.

Then, I read a quote from Drayton Bird, “Start with the truth, not what you wish it to be.”

It wrecked me, spoke to me.

As I pondered, I realized I’d already been living it. I have already been living into this phrase…

And here’s why you should start with the truth, too!

Start With the Truth Because…

…It is kind.

And I don’t mean that it is being kind to someone else to tell them the truth. That actually may not always be the case.

However, it is always kind to yourself to tell the truth.

Untruths/lies can become weights hanging on our shoulders. So we show ourselves kindness by not making us deal with that unnecessary burden.

We tend to think that fudging the numbers, exaggerating the size of the fish, and hyping the progress that isn’t really there is going to help us in the long run. But that isn’t really true.

Sure, maybe it gets us an extra sale here or there. Maybe it helps us cinch that new client or convinces someone to go out for coffee. 

But then what?

You have to maintain that lie or follow through with it.

What about the next one? The next person? The next lie?

It becomes too much. It is a lot of work…

Avoid the work and show yourself some kindness and start with the truth.

…It is Helpful

Even if the truth hurts, it is likely going to be more beneficial in the long run.

Can you really solve that problem for your client? Or do you just want the sale?

Or, think of it this way, is it worth having a disgruntled client just so you could make that sale?

Probably not.

If fudging the numbers of your progress or success helps make your boss happy, then is it worth having to do the extra work to actually make up the difference?

We think that covering up the truth is going to help us out a lot – in our business and in our personal life…

…But that is rarely the case. 

It just means that we push the expectations onto someone else or make things worse for ourselves later.

If it isn’t moving you forward in the long term, then it isn’t worth it.

And if you want to be helpful…

Then you need to learn to start with the truth and be honest with yourself, your friends, your family, your clients, etc.

…It is Human

To wrap up my case…

Being honest is a way of owning up to our mistakes and failures, as well as our wise choices and successes.

News flash.

All of us suck at some point or another.

I often end up not following my own advice at first. I fail as a husband and father and business owner. Constantly.

It is a part of life to screw up.

Own it.

It makes you who you are.

Just learn from it and improve for the next go-round.

Your clients, and those you interact with online, would rather see you fail, admit it, and pivot to do better next time than feed a bunch of false information down the pipeline and find out about it later on.

Trust me on this one.

Start with the truth and you can’t go wrong.

How’s That For Honesty?

Well, how did that do for you? Too blunt? Not brutally honest enough? Let me know and tell me what you think. Curious about where these essential values of digital marketing came from? Well…you’ll just have to check it out for yourself.

If you want to work with someone who won’t blow smoke in places where smoke doesn’t need to be (you know the saying I’m going for), then I would love to introduce you to a good friend of mine.

It’s me. 

Sometimes you gotta be your own best friend first, ya know? Jokes aside, I don’t like to sugarcoat things and I am happy to talk about my flaws and failures and ways I wouldn’t be a good match for you if necessary. Give me a shout if you want, though. Who knows? Maybe we will be a perfect fit!