What are Your Three Truths?

I love podcasts. I love audio content in general. It’s a format that allows me to focus my brain while working on other tasks with my hands. While most choose a music playlist for their runs, I’ve usually got an audiobook or a pod running through my headphones. And because I’ve got this constant stream of content coming my way, I consume quite a bit.

But there are certainly a few podcasts, in particular, that I would classify as staples of my audio diet. One of those is The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes. And if you’ve been around this blog before, you’ve probably seen references to him a time or two.

Howes is a self-made millionaire who built a brand by becoming a specialist at helping folks create meaningful engagement on LinkedIn. At a time when very few were optimizing the potential of that platform, he crafted a set of resources that set him on a pretty successful path. Since then, he’s taken to the podcast world and over the last several years built a significant following.

He’s got a calm, honestly inquisitive approach that places his guests in the driver seat of a discussion. He gets out of their way with a pretty simple formula: seek out answers to the questions that will help others become great – whatever that means in their own lives.

One of those key questions is something he asks at the end of every interview. He asks the guests to imagine they’re at the end of their life and that, for whatever reason, nothing they’ve created can remain in the world. Instead, they have the opportunity to leave three truths – or life lessons – that can be remembered forever. It’s a great question – especially for return guests when the listener can hear how they’ve evolved in the interim between interviews. I love this question. And I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure out my own three truths.

Naturally, I think these evolve over time because our lived experiences inform our paradigms. But here’s where I am right now, and how these truths shape my optimism in the world of advocacy.

Reject the premise that your idea won’t change the world.

The only folks who’ve ever changed the world are those who believed they could, and then committed to the cause. The ideas haven’t always been sweeping philosophies that influenced millions. But especially in the world of advocacy, you have a chance to make a broad impact with even a narrow concept. Your idea can effect positive change in the world. Believe it, and believe that a small group of dedicated people can go far, if they go together.

Go. As slow as you must, but keep going.

I work in a field full of long days with almost no instant gratification. Political advocacy isn’t about meeting the end result in a day. It’s about using every day to move the needle closer to that end. There are days where your hair is on fire yet all the frenetic activity lands you no closer to passing a bill, or earning a key supporter. Some periods in your work life will be far slower-going than you’d want. But when all you can do is crawl, do that. Building the critical relationships your issue needs requires showing up, again and again, over time.

The surest way to achieve your goals, is to help others achieve theirs.

You cannot achieve success in politics, or almost any field, without building meaningful coalitions. Our society is built on specialization – and by bonding with complementary partners, we amplify our ability to create, pursue and implement meaningful change. But that work is always a two-way street. Successful advocates and impactful leaders find ways to serve others and help them achieve their own goals. The surest way to win them to your cause, is to champion theirs when you are able.

So, what are yours?

What are your three truths? What are the lessons you’d want to leave to the world? I want to hear what you have to share with Lewis. So please, consider dropping a comment on this page, or on the social media posts you see connected to it. And thank you, as always, for being an active part of this little community.