Why success stories are just propaganda

The most tedious stories we ever tell are success stories. From the podium at Cannes Lions,  TED talks, conference keynote presentations, the pages of the Harvard Business Review and The McKinsey Quarterly, the pronouncements of rockstar marketers, the breezy empowering wisdom of those who've made it to the top of their chosen greasy pole, and pretty much every business book ever written... the narrative - implicit or explicit - is always the same:

“I succeeded. I succeeded because I did this. And I am really good at this. You are not doing this. But if you do this you and you are good at it you can succeed too.”

Looking at historic data, we’ve analysed what made these people / businesses / brands successfuland there’s a pattern. It’s [insert magic ingredient]. If you copy what they did in the past, you can create your future success.”

You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life… You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle… Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

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