We’re All Making It Up

There’s a dirty little secret you need to be aware of:

We’re all making it up.

The “experts”, the economists, the strategists, the soothsayers, the politicians. The lot of them. Yes, indeed. We’re all making it up.

That’s not to say that there aren’t certain “truths” that we promote to the world. And that’s not to say there are certain falsehoods that we promote to the world but believe to be true.

But there’s a whole lot of making stuff up as well.

You find it in marketing. You find it in politics. You find it in investment advice.

You’ll find it everywhere.

At the high end of the economic spectrum, there are whole prison wings of charlatans that have lied their way to fame, fortune, and falsehood.

Elizabeth Holmes. Bernie Madoff. Sam Bankman-Fried. Bernard Ebbers. Kenneth Lay.

These sit in the most obvious rogue gallery. Read here about some of the most egregious behavior.

It’s going on everywhere

I’m not especially focusing on these leading lights.

It’s more the fact that, at some level, we’re all faking it until we make it/become it/get found out.

Think about friends of yours who have a reputation for telling the most amazing and engaging stories.

They entertain with one of those “this is what happened to me” narratives.

They build the tension, milk the crowd, throw in an epic twist at the end, and take a bow.

But you smell pure bullshit. The reason? You were there when the so-called event happened — and it was absolutely nothing like that.

Or rather, it played out in a far more sedate fashion. Less like watching Mission Impossible Grisham, and more like watching paint dry.

It’s harmless…until it’s not

You may not think it’s a big deal. Everyone does it, after all.

But there’s a less pleasant side to it.

Social media is a prime example of falsehoods dressed up as reality.

It’s less a reflection of real life and more the promoter of highlight reels.

We are able to project the notion of living our best life, even though our true day-to-date existence is crap on steroids.

And it’s impacting our mental health as well.

It’s shocking and sad that airbrushed images and fakery have contributed to a spike in body dissatisfaction and eating disorders in teenage girls.

And how about those of us who buy into the dream of working for ourselves? Plenty of us have entrepreneurial aspirations sold to us by influencers and social media in general.

But a quick glance at YouTube would get you thinking that sports cars and tropical holidays are par for the course.

There’s an unhealthy romanticizing that following your passions is the fast track to a six-figure enterprise.

But it’s not like that. It’s a grind. There will be disappointment. A ton of people fail. Probably most people fail.

Still, there are plenty of grifters and salespeople making it up online.

There are so many that seem to promise the earth, it must be easy…surely?

At the same time, there are not enough YouTubers that are transparent about how crappy the whole money-making game can actually be:

If there’s any lesson to be taken from this world of charlatans (or those that are simply economic with the truth), it’s just to do your due diligence.

Take whatever you hear at face value.

And realize, we’re all making it up on some level.

You may find affiliate links within this article.