Why bring a canon when a pocket knife would suffice?
If your plan for victory is might makes right, it’ll probably work.
Temporarily.
But brute force is a sloppy strategy and don’t be surprised to find yourself undermined, outwitted and alone.
You don’t need bigger guns, you need better aim.
The phrase “letting go of the hilt” has two implications.
It can refer to dropping the ball, failing to win even with ideal conditions and sword in hand.
It can also mean putting the sword down and employing more sophisticated methods.
A parable about helping others with their businesses:
If your friend's house is on fire but they’re not concerned, don’t waste your own water trying to put it out.
Multi-level marketing is more than just a way for moms to lose money.
It's an arena rife with fake experts, pseudoscience, bogus claims, parroted scripts, and grossly overpriced products you could find better versions of at Costco.
Manipulation is the name of the game—and they're good at it.
Really good.
They find your pain points and twist the screw as hard as they can.
It's a skill born of desperation.
The pitches are usually about money, time, freedom, weight, aging, or fear of deadly toxins.
One thing’s for sure: nothing else on the market works, and everything else causes cancer.
I mean, you don't want your kids to get cancer, do you?
And have you seen the photos of me with the new car, chartered jet, exclusive yacht, and private island?
None of them are mine, by the way—but shhh, you don't need to know that.
There are warning signs.
As soon as you hear phrases like “extra cash,” “side hustle,” “sign up three of your friends,” “be a product of the product”—and especially “all in”—there’s only one thing to do:
Run.
Water didn't carve the Grand Canyon in a day. In fact, the desert floor initially said "no," in spite of its desperate thirst.
Water didn’t argue or take offense. It was patient, it was present, it was persistent in its own way.
Knowing that time is on its side, water waits for desire to overcome willpower.
Water doesn’t take no for an answer.
Don’t mistake rhetoric for actual expertise. Anyone can memorize an elevator pitch. If you want to see genius in action (or not), watch what...
