My previous post was a lie. I made it seem like you could do almost anything with effort, desire, and good instruction, and that’s not true. (Sort of.) There is much that each of us will never be able to do, and there are talents that each of us naturally have that cannot be denied. Some things are easier, while others are monstrously more difficult. That is the truth.

But is it a useful truth?

I am a marketer, a salesman, and a storyteller, so it’s no surprise that my views on honesty are fairly flexible. Yet the one thing I never do is lie to myself. I will, however, allow myself focus on certain parts of the truth. The useful parts.

It’s both true that we can do more than most of us realize, and that there are limits to our potential. Of those two truths, the former is more useful. Focusing on your limits will constrain you, depress you, and keep you from attempting great and important things, while focusing on defying them will propel you forward as you tackle challenges you may have never even contemplated otherwise.

The truth is not binary, not a clean True or False; it has many facets, and you get to choose which one you focus on. You may choose the cynical, pessimistic side, and you may be right, but is it really useful to think like that?

Personally, I’ll keep focusing on the useful truth. I’ll always remember the other facets, the cynical and the pessimistic and the bleak. I just won’t pay them much mind. They’re not worth my time.