“Check this out,” my friend’s text read. “Human” is clearly the new “storytelling.”
My friend, who is a longtime writer, had sent me a link to an advertising agency’s website riddled with the word “human.” Human experiences. Human interactions. Human products. Having spent decades working with marketers, my friend is well aware of the rise of “storytelling” as an incredibly popular brand over the last several years. But at a time when it seems like that trend has run its course, I’m excited at the opportunity for people to move on to the next great brand: us.
Because I, too, have grown weary of the “storytelling” fad. I’m tired of my friends putting “storyteller” in their Twitter bios and resumes. I am also tired of me doing it. Let’s stop trying to sell our “story.” Sure, stories have been an effective form of communication since the beginning of time. But it’s 2020, and let’s face it, no one cares anymore. Sell you. It’s really all we have left to sell anyway, and it’s why I’m excited about the growing popularity of human experiences and human stuff and human everything. The next frontier isn’t space. Space can’t hold a candle to the one reality that is truly bigger and better than anything: ourselves.
You might be saying, “But Witt, aren’t we already the most self-obsessed culture on the planet?” Sure we are, but let’s not pretend like that’s not our greatest asset! Our problem isn’t that we’re too selfish. Our problem is that we’re not selfish enough. We need to go deeper. Further in. I’ve been incorporating this philosophy into my life for years, and it all starts with the way you see yourself in the context of this vast content landscape we all live in. Sure, content is king. But that’s only true because the real king is you. You are the king. And therefore, you are the content.
Awakening to this truth hasn’t been easy been for me. In fact, it’s cost me some of my closest friendships. Friendships that might have lasted a lifetime. Was it worth it? Only time will tell. The road to authenticity is paved with the severed bonds you once had with people who could no longer accept the true you. Those people don’t deserve you anymore, and you can’t afford to give them your time and attention. If you want to succeed in this day and age, you have to cut out anyone who refuses to accept your single most essential truth: that you, as you exist right now, are your own unique content experience.
It’s a truth that will set you free, but it won’t be easy. It requires difficult life changes. Many of the people in your social circles won’t understand that. For example, I’ve had a number of friends and family members reach out to me recently and complain about my sudden lack of compassion toward them. I had to explain to those people that as of January 2020, compassion is exclusively for my Tier 1 subscribers. Tier 2 subscribers gain access to empathy, active listening, etc. Look, I didn’t make the rules. Well, that’s not true. I did. I literally made all of the rules and built them into what is now my primary source of income. But in a much deeper sense, I didn’t make the rules at all. I simply discovered them within myself.
Going forward, that’s what you’re going to have to do, too. Michelangelo, one of the greatest content creators in history, believed that his sculptures already existed in their blocks of marble before he even began to sculpt them. He just had to chisel the rest of the marble away. It goes without saying that the result was some seriously high-quality stuff that’s gotten through-the-roof engagement over the centuries.
Michelangelo understood that in order to create truly authentic content, you’ve got to trim the fat. And for many of you, that means chiseling away at the friends and family who aren’t going to be a part of your creative vision down the line. Be thinking about this over the holidays. Mull it over while you and Aunt Charlotte talk politics over some pumpkin pie, because Aunt Charlotte might not have a place in your life once that pie is all gone. Sure, she’s part of your “story.” But again, your true fans couldn’t care less about that. If Aunt Charlotte isn’t adding value to your personal brand, it might be time for her to go.
If this sounds harsh, you’re thinking about it all wrong. You should be excited for a future in which we continue to prioritize ourselves more and more, and you should look forward to the day that the people in your life allow you to focus even more on your own needs.
If they can’t do that, don’t hesitate to smash that “unsubscribe” button.