How to Combat Society's Sales Pitches
“The truth is— the problem isn’t really in the problem. Rather, the problem is in where we try to find solution.”
- Abigail Cole Hardin, CLC; PNLP
By Abigail Cole Hardin, CLC; PNLP
In a world that constantly…
challenges our definitions of success;
tempts us with comparison;
targets our desires by acting like “things, positions, trips, experiences” can fulfill our deepest longings…
—we can easily get lost in sales and chasing the grass on the other side because it appears greener (blame it on the filters)!
“Whatever the salesman is selling,” we probably know it’s not the answer, but we still use it to take the edge off.
For instance:
That trip is going to be the incentive and relaxation I need.
That promotion is going to lift the weight of my financial stress.
That purse or car is going to show that I’m worthy of nice things.
That gym is going to get me in the shape I need to spice things up with my partner.
Those statements are so tricky because they have enough ring of truth to sound like full truth. But let me change the tone and give the sound of full truth.
I don’t allow myself to relax or have inner peace, but maybe I can try that on a trip.
I don’t know how to lessen stress, but maybe with more money, I’ll feel better… even though I’ll still have the stress.
I don’t know how to feel worthy, but maybe the purse or the car will convince me and others that I am.
I don’t know how to fix my relationship, but maybe a fit body will be enough to make him happy.
Oof. No wonder we rather go with the hopes from the sales pitch!
It’s too hard and painful to go to the full truth because it doesn’t offer a quick fix.
So really the root of a sales’ pitch is to be able to give enough truth to inspire hope or take the edge off your current reality. But in all that “taking the edge off” and avoidance of the real heart issues, we become more “on-edge” than when we began.
The truth is— the problem isn’t really in the problem. Rather, the problem is in where we try to find solution.
The solution will never be found in “things, positions, trips, or experiences.” Those are all external and they will not change our internal world - which includes internal conflict. Yet, we bury our internal worlds and core struggles with piles of false solutions (usually from society’s sales pitches).
So, with that said, let’s step off the hamster wheel of keeping up with the world and all it “offers,” and start to look at what we have in this exact point in time. It’s called “Internal Resources.”
As a Life Coach and NLP Practitioner, I’m always helping my clients realize that what they have internally will dramatically shift the way the see things externally.
For instance, I’ve talked before about gratitude as an internal resource that we can always access when we choose. So, when we choose gratitude as a resource, it can protect us from our culture’s messages that say you don’t have enough. Or even further, gratitude can be used as a shield from shame that says you are not enough.
When we draw from our inner resources we can start to dispel the lies and myths that plague our thoughts and society’s sales pitches.
As Christians, it goes even further in our infinite supply of inner resources. We have an ultimate Source where we can confidently say we do not need “things/trips/experiences” to take the edge off. We have a supernatural supply of energy, a confidence in strength—both physical and emotional, and a lack of fear because we know we have a loving Father who hears us and provides our every need!