I think persuasion or people skills, soft skills, sales, whatever the heck you want to call it is going to become one of the most important skills that you can have in the years going forward. What I mean by that is that more and more our world is sort of coalescing into one power structure. And given the nature of power and the stretch of it much truth will have to be snuffed out to maintain that power structure.
A job that I do not envy. But what I’m getting at is that to navigate this “new” world, which really isn’t all that new, is you’ll have to become a master at people and persuasion. Understanding people and human nature, how to harness it, and how to keep it from burning you at the stake. You’ll have to learn the inner workings of people’s minds and how they work.
And how to use all of this to keep yourself afloat professionally while at the same time keeping yourself out of trouble. And I say all of this with also believing that even before this “new age” these skills we’re talking about were still some of the most important skills that you can learn.
So safe to say I’d do whatever you needed to harness and understand these skills.
The Truth About The Truth
There’s an old parable, I believe from the Bible that talks about building your house on the rocks and not the sands, which represents truths instead of lies. It talks about when the rains come down the house built on the sand (lies) gets washed away and the house built on the rocks (truth) stands the test of time. Most people have built their house on the sand and when the rains come they’re confused why their foundation falls out from under them.
But what does that have to do with you? Well here’s the thing the very fact that you’re reading this site tells me you’re not a normal person, and I mean that in a good way. The fact that you’re reading a non-fiction site on self-improvement and non-gimmicky self-improvement at that shows that you’re literally part of mental 1%. And I mean that seriously.
Because you are this person you have a desire for truth and because of that you’ll often find yourself going up against the dominant culture as well as family and friends. Because you posess the truth you’ll want to share it and help others with it. However most people are clinging so tightly to their sand that they’ll never accept the rock because that would literally change everything for them, also maybe they’ve even been told that the rock is bad, evil, or a various form of “ism”. And so on and so forth.
Put simply, people hate the truth and want to kill those that point out the truth to them. Yet as a truth seeker what are you to do?
The Gaps In The Human Mind
Our brains are not as foolproof as we think, there are plenty of gaps and logic breaks in them. Even those of us who seek truth we still rely on emotion and instincts more than logic, much less society as a whole. Nor am I saying that this is necessarily a bad thing as logic, while a great tool, has its limits and shouldn’t be the basis for each and every thing. There has to be room for primal instincts and higher order creativity that go beyond strict If A therefore B unless C type stuff.
In order to spread truth, without the burning at the stake part, you have to understand these “gaps” in the human mind and learn how to utilize them. This may sound like manipulation and I guess it is in a way but too me it’s the same as wearing a coat when it’s cold out is “manipulation”. It’s adjusting for realities. Truth is a dangerous and explosive subject and there are many with power that fear it and rightfully so.
But what are these gaps? Well we’ve addressed some of them before but let’s lay out the broad basics here. Storytelling is one of them. Tell someone a story and you put them in a trance, embedding truth in story telling is very effective, and I’m not talking about fables necessarily. Comedy is another one. Tell someone the truth but make them laugh at the same time and they’ll be less likely to kill you.
Generally sales/people/soft skills is another of these “gaps” you learn a lot about them in any good sales course or book, same with copywriting ones. I have a series on copywriting 101 and sales 101 that you can access if you’re a member of the site. Just type it into the search bar or click on the links I’ll include below. That’ll give you a good start on understanding the topic.
As well as this article on rapport building.
The Truth Is The Most Valuable Thing You Can Posess
And also one of the most dangerous. Truth seeking is a noble profession but also a potentially dangerous one for a variety of different reasons. Learn the soft skills, learn the nature of human nature, and learn how to utilize it all to make the world a better place around you if only because that’s what you want personally. No “noble” motives needed. We all have to live in the earth so might as well make it the best we can while we’re here.
Which means addressing, understanding, and at times spreading harsh truths. Truths that the world and people hate, truths that if expressed the wrong way will get you chased out of “polite” society, which is anything but polite. But truth is important and needed. It’s the fire the lights this world of darkness and allows us to see. Proceed with caution, and with understanding, but do proceed.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
