“Why is marketing the language? I don’t know anything about marketing.”
“We think you know more than you think you do.”
“No, I really don’t. Do you know how many failed businesses I’ve had? Do you know how many things I’ve created that no one has bought? Do you know how many shows I’ve put on that no one attended? I’ve got a book for sale that no one is reading. I’ve got a DVD available that no one is watching. I’ve written I don’t know how many business plans and not one of them has been followed through to fruition. Surely, you guys have been paying attention.”
“Of course we have,” Iman said. “We find your antics quite amusing.”
“Thanks.”
“Absolutely,” added Yewell. “If it weren’t for people like you, we’d probably have no sense of humor at all.”
“Great. So glad to know I give you occasion to laugh.”
“Oh, you’re hysterical.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I wish I could enjoy my screw ups that much. See, I have this condition called Attention Deficit Disorder.”
“Oh, yes! ADD. What a marvelous invention,” said Iman.
“You’ve got to be kidding,” I said.
“Not at all,” he said. “That mindset has been the most open to us on our visits. It’s a travesty that you so often classify it as a disorder.”
“What else could it be?”
“A gift,” said Yewell. “There’s more to you than you realize, Steve.”
“How do you figure?”
“Because you’re human. Do you think you’re the only one that doesn’t have it all figured out? Do you think you’re the only one who doesn’t have it all together? Your entire planet sometimes looks like a Three Stooges episode.”
“Whom we also like quite a lot,” Iman added.
“Hysterical,” Yewell said.
“But I’m a failure.”
“No,” Yewell said as he patted my shoulder, “you’re just not finished. If you were a failure, you wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t have come this far.”
“You see,” Iman added, “you’re not a failure. You’re just imbalanced.”
“Oh, that makes me feel much better. Thanks.”
“My pleasure.”
“How do I get balanced?”
“Realize who you are.”
“Who am I?”
“That’s what we’re here to find out,” Yewell said. “After all, that’s primarily the focus of marketing in the first place. Finding out who you are.”
“I thought it was to let other people know who I am, or at least what I do.”
“How can you let them know that when you don’t even know yourself?” said Iman. “The problem that you have, Steve, is the same problem that is shared with many individuals, businesses, and organizations. You’re imbalanced. That’s what keeps you from operating smoothly. That’s what keeps you from making the most of this abundant planet. That’s what keeps you from being effective at life.”
“It’s that whole `ten percent of the brain’ thing,” added Yewell. “You’re not thinking completely. You’re not realizing your whole being. Remember when you said before that marketing was just advertising?”
“Advertising and stuff,”‘ I corrected.
“Well, it’s the `stuff’ part that needs clarification. Advertising is just letting people know what you do.”
“Or at least getting them to think they know what you do,” Iman added.
“But marketing is more than just spreading the word…”
“Or spreading other things,” Iman interjected again.
“It’s the entire package. Marketing is everything in your business…”
“Or busy-ness…”
“…everything that you utilize to get to identify, anticipate, and supply your customer with what they need and want.” Yewell paused for a moment as if waiting for it to sink in. “And the same module is used in realizing your role in life as a whole. You must gain awareness, discover your purpose, and realize your Self.”
“Thought, Word, and Deed.”
“Idea, Intent, and Action.”
“Knowledge, Will, and Being.”
“Mind, Spirit, and Body.”
“Beginning, Middle, and End.”
“Start, Go, and Finish.”
“Larry, Moe, and Curly.”
“Excuse me?” I said.
“Sorry,” said Iman. “Just wanted to see if you were still paying attention.”
I sat down in a nearby chair and ran my fingers through my hair. “So you’re saying that marketing is like a metaphor for life?”
“Marketing is a microcosm of life. Your businesses, your organizations, your economy, all of your actions and creations are an extension of who you are. As you progress in one, you will progress in all.”
This is an excerpt from How to Survive an Estralarian Mind Meld. Come back weekly for the next part or order your copy in ebook or paperback today!
