So I came across this page featured on the West Virginia Surf Report via Twitter and couldn’t help but to laugh. As I took I quick skim over the site, it became pretty obvious what the images represented. The photos are basically fast food concoctions that many of us are familiar with - e.g. Wendy’s Chicken Club, Arby’s Beef ‘n Cheddar sandwich, etc. The ones on the left side represent what we see when the commercials or the billboards try to lure us into the restaurant to quench our stomach churning hunger (induced by the said advertisements, of course). The photos right next to those represent…what we actually get when we open up the wrappers. Now, depending on how much you like any of these foods will determine how much you shake your head in disgust or sigh at the glaring difference in what you actually pay for. The bottomline here is that there is a big difference between what you’re shown/told you are going to get and from what you actually wind up with.
In life, there are plenty of opportunities for us to be duped into believing that everything we see on television or on the Web will be exactly what is shown. It’s tough sometimes but after awhile, you learn from your mistakes. On the flip side, there are even more opportunities for us to tell someone we are going to do something, add on some verbal fluff about what it will be and how much it will help them do something and then it turn out to be a soggy, 2.5 star version of what it should have been.
Whether you are applying this to business (working with clients), social life (helping a friend move) or in relationships (picking her/him up on time) - it is always important to follow through on what you advertise to someone. You’ve pegged yourself as someone who wants to make a difference, who wants to put their energy into making something great and moving forward. How are you going to do that when people expect greatness from you but get mediocre results at best? Each time that happens, you undermine people’s ability to trust that they will get what you tell them and eventually they will look to another establishment/individual for their needs (or hunger!).
You’re better than that. Give your best and you won’t ever have to worry about websites popping up making a mockery of you or your product.
