Give Truth Some Sheen

I am partial to employing the Socratic Method whenever a big important question lands on my radar screen so today I wish to thrash out the important difference between bulls**t and spin.

Last week a phone call with a colleague who said "business is booming" gave me pause. No one I know except maybe Mark M. who runs a second-rate tombstone company in Brooklyn is having a banner year yet this colleague never wavers. Not only is his business great but his personal life is pretty extraordinary too. Unlike the rest of us who slog away at long-term marriages, this remarkable man has never been more in love with his spouse.

From a marketing standpoint, my colleague has staked a very muscular position. He's painting a vivid picture of someone unbowed and undaunted by a tanking economy which might lead me to think that he's not only awfully good at what he does but lucky too. So, he's spinning. On the other hand, since he lives in another part of the country and I see him infrequently, he could also be full of s**t. Is there a difference?

I think there is.

I'm a huge fan of spin. Your business is up, your business is down...who cares except you? Masters of spin understand the importance of literary license to create an aura of dogged determination and accomplishment. Can you imagine getting through the day if everyone told the truth?

Spin is a way to shape your personal narrative, to make it clear that no matter how tough it is you're up to the fight. Armed with some spicy spin you will rarely duck from conversation since now you're simply embellishing the truth, giving it a nice lovely sheen. Spin is therapeutic, too since the more you say it, the more you believe it and that's wonderful. Nothing makes me heart go faster than hearing my own spin and reigniting the passion for what I do. That's the cool thing about self-generated enthusiasm -- it's exponential.

As for bulls**t, it serves little purpose except sabotage. It's the surest and quickest way to sever a relationship, connection or opportunity. And that's the one thing we never want to do, do we?