Success Stories, Not Make-Believe

Here are a few pointers I picked up about sharing success stories. If you must share, do not leave out the challenges you faced and the occasional setbacks or disappointments that you still experience. It makes for a complete story, and people will learn more from your story than you can ever imagine.

I have found that many social media users are lacking in this regard. They share stories that convey the wrong idea about building or running a business. I attribute this to the pressure of appearing successful when the reality is different. Progress is often not gained overnight as some posts suggest.

The relevance of a complete story is such that it drives the right understanding in others and resonates with the rest of the world.

So we cannot be carried away with incomplete stories. Misinformation is not limited to propaganda or conspiracy theories alone. Negative stories, incomplete ideas, misrepresentation and lies go in the same basket.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, one of the renowned novelists from Nigeria and recently a fashion icon once gave a TED Talk about the danger of a single story. She spoke at length about stories that do not tell it all. I think it is safe to say that the same is true of social media.

It is not a healthy practice to think you are competing with every other person. This thing about ‘trending’ is robbing people blind. If there was ever a time to lead by example, that time is now, today, especially with all kinds of stories making the rounds online. Success stories are just what they are, not make-believe.