We are selling lies! We are destroying lives!

We are peddling myths to the society in which we live with a sound-byte culture of hope and promise that gets knocked down and destroyed with ease and regularity.  For so long we have promised people, especially our younger generations, that we will “unlock their potential” or help them “realise their potential” and when they do…….it is not good enough, we knock them down and kick them too!

Not everyone can be the winner – in sport there is just the one gold medal, the one trophy, the one championship leader, yet many more will take part. Does this mean that the person in 3rd place is a loser? What if they ‘maximised their potential’?  If they achieved their potential and finished in 4th place, is this success?

If we are to be genuine, we must learn to celebrate when people realise their potential, even if they do not take top spot.  When England reach the Quarter finals and lose, we should be happy if they have performed their best.  This mentality should be spread to all things and all people.  Our maxim should revolve around people giving it their best, doing their utmost and wherever they land, being satisfied in a job well done.

We do not all have the same opportunities but we all have one ability open to us – to give our best to the task at hand.  We must refrain from false promises of motivation and be more realistic.  Let us stop peddling lies to motivate individuals and then destroying them when they do not become ‘top dog’!