Selling opinions as truths to get you hooked

We live in an era, where we are bombarded with advice, especially on social media. Fifteen years ago it was maybe mostly the self help corner in the bookshop or the newsletters, selling us the newest hot trend for more happiness.

Now it’s all of that plus influencers on Instagram and Co with one minute reels to solve all our life problems in seven simple steps.

Voilà!

Maybe we need more advice than ever I wonder, since life seems to have gotten more complicated lately. Wouldn’t we all love someone at times, telling us exactly what to do to solve all of our problems in one go?

There’s so many choices, so many decisions, which have to be taken on a daily basis; small ones, big ones, life altering ones at times.

Simultaneously, there’s a real danger of giving our own power away, losing the capacity to think for oneself, if we allow ourselves to get too much hooked on influencer advice on how to manage our lives.

Obviously it depends on what kind of tips we need, yesterday for example, the new stove got locked and I was very relieved to find some instructions online on how to unlock it. For those kind of very practical things, ‘the how to’s’ are great.

I for sure don’t want to sit here and meditate about the question of how to unlock the stove, lol! And if you’re a crafty person it makes sense to find a tutorial on building your own soul shell etc. Straight forward tips on oil change etc. tutorials on knitting a jumper for sure have their place!

Where it really gets tricky, when opinions about certain, often complex subjects are sold as truths. Telling us, this is the only way to be successful in solving the problem. Maybe it’s the newest program on how to get 100.000 followers in five weeks, or the next online healing course for people with chronic health issues, promising ‘THE FIX’ no one else ever has heard about before.

When it comes to matters, which have many variables to them and where it also depends on the individual situation, the very promise of having found the one and only way, already should be a red flag. Apart from the fact, that it’s slightly patronising:

‘I have found the way, follow me!’

Hooked on the advice we have been given, it’s easy to fall into all the shoulds!

‘I should be marketing this way!’

‘I should be living my life that way, to be happy and successful!’

A lot of people had a lot to say on how I should be moving forward when I just freshly had arrived in Portugal. They told me I had to make a decision and that it was very difficult to find a permanent place. Which is true by the way. Still I stuck to my guns and maybe I was just lucky, but I found the perfect place for myself and things are unfolding nicely right now.

I think it is important to not lose the ability to sit with the uncomfortable questions for a little while. Applying some discernment where it is good to get a concrete advice and where it’s better to find the next step on our own, especially when it’s a more complicated matter like chronic health issues etc.

The challenge is, that so many people’s lives have become so busy, that there’s no space left for actually being with a question for a while, without having the immediate answer. Of course it is easier to find the ten steps to solve the problem…

Unfortunately not everything is straightforward in life and can be solved in fifteen steps.

It for sure is good to be discerning, especially when something is sold to us.

‘Is this really something practical or is it rather an opinion promoted as the ultimate truth?’

This might be a good question to ask. It helps us with thinking for ourselves and trusting our own ability to tackle the challenges we have been dealt with, one at a time.

Sometimes we need to find the willingness to lean into the bigger questions, without focusing so much on the solution. When the time is ripe we will know what to do.

What question is it you need to lean into right now, or is it rather a practical tip you want, or both? I would love to know.