There is a phrase that I often see in various advertisements for education and training services. There are many variants, but the primary phrase is, “this will put you on the path to success.”
This phrase is certainly very popular amongst those who market this kind of service, as it certainly sounds very wonderful and inviting. But, being the cantankerous and contentious person that I am, well… it bugs me.
The reason that it bothers me is that, if there is indeed a “path,” this necessarily implies that someone else has been through here before at least once, and if it is a well-worn and well marked path, it means a whole lot of people have been through here before.
That’s when it hit me. People who are truly successful do not follow pre-set paths. They take their machete (not always the sharpest blade in the box either), and they start hacking their way through the dense undergrowth.
I realize that not everyone is cut out to be a Stanley or Livingston. The vast majority of people are path followers. I am fine with that. What bugs me is how this may affect our precious few pathfinders.
The constant implication that a path already exists to every desirable destination is, I think, the wrong message to send. To constantly say that there is an easier way to to success than hacking through the dense undergrowth of your own ignorance and desire (and ever expanding opportunities) essentially shames the desire to go exploring.
Whenever I see an advertisement for publicity or marketing for authors or speakers, I always sense that little stab in my soul, because these ads imply that I’m a sucker for not paying them their fee and doing it their way. “Why work hard when we have already discovered the easy way to quick riches?” They never come out and say that, but it is very heavily implied. You have to scroll way down to the fine print to see the phrase, “results not typical.” It functions as propaganda, and it is dangerous.
One of the most important of the 22 immutable laws of branding is “be first.” If you are on a path, you are not the first one. Christopher Columbus and Bill Gates did not follow any known path. If you are on a path to success, I would advise you to get off it immediately.
© Justin Locke
4 Responses to Get off the Path to Success