Share the Story, Skip the Prophecy

Recently I posted a quick reel about people sharing their experiences. In it, I stated the obvious: your experience is, in fact, your experience. It came after some reflection on something I've been talking about for years. Almost everything we pass along to each other runs through the filter of perception.

Our perception belongs to us. It's closely held, deeply personal, and it is not the same for everyone. As humans we share plenty of similar experiences, but similar is not identical.

I recently got an updated tetanus shot. You're supposed to get them every ten years. Fun fact about me, I can't remember the last time I had one. It was likely shortly after birth, whenever brand new humans get those kinds of things.

I asked the doctor in my standard calm, curious tone, "So, is this supposed to hurt? What should I be expecting here?"

He shrugged, “Not at all.”

And it didn't. It didn't do anything. At all.

Which triggered a flashback to my childhood where my mom told me about tetanus shots. She told me they hurt a lot. My parents actually used that as leverage to make me more careful. Be careful out there, because if you get hurt, you're going to need a tetanus shot, and nobody wants that. It was a threat. Not only was I supposed to fear getting hurt in general, stepping on a rusty nail or something, but if I did hurt myself, they'd inject me with this painful substance and I'd be in even more pain.

Well, Mom, it didn't hurt. It hurt you, and then you assumed it would hurt everyone else.

That got me thinking about all the things I was told growing up, and the things I still hear every day. People lean toward sharing their experience as a warning instead of a story. How many times have we done it ourselves? Conveyed a bad experience as a caution sign rather than a chapter? Consciously or not, we do it constantly.

We do it in business, too. That market is oversaturated. That platform is a waste of time. Don't bother with that strategy, I tried it and it flopped. Sometimes those warnings carry real wisdom. But just as often, they're one person's perception dressed up as universal truth. What flopped for them might be exactly the thing that works for you, your audience, and your particular brand of weird.

There's a simple fix, and my doctor modeled it perfectly. "Some people feel a little sore, but maybe you won't." He gave me the information without handing me his conclusion. He left room for my experience to be my own.

We can all do that. Instead of "don't go, it's awful," try "it wasn't my thing, but it might be yours." This stuff isn't for me, but maybe you'll love it. Share the story. Skip the prophecy.

Keep an open mind, and help the people around you keep theirs. It somehow feels lighter that way. We don't have to lurk around our friends, colleagues, and clients with ominous warnings. We can just tell them what happened to us, and let them go find out what happens to them.

That's it. That's all.

Zak Speaking in Carson City, NV

If this resonated, there's more where that came from. Every week I publish Zak Unscripted on LinkedIn, honest takes on authenticity, business, and the stuff most people are thinking but not saying. Subscribe there, browse more articles here, or reach out if you're ready to build something that actually sounds like you.