Are You Verified in Real Life? 2 Questions that Determine if You're Fake or Verified.
One thing is for certain with social media and the digital, on-demand world we live in today - it has given everyone the opportunity to have a voice. The voices (and personas) we see on social media are open to interpretation, whether it be for authenticity or believability.
The blue check is often regarded as the universal sign of verified. Believe it or not, it's super easy to get this check for your social media accounts, regardless of who are; you don't need to be a celebrity. How do you earn this verification in real life is the question everyone should be asking.
Whether you're dishing out personal advice, professional advice, financial advice, etc., what would it take for you to attain the blue check? Can you imagine shopping for a financial adviser and being able to filter your search to show only those who are verified on the claims they make. "Best Financial Planner in Columbus" would mean more if real life were similar to social media.
What's scary about social media is that people really believe they are something they are not. Anyone can put expert, professional, public figure, etc. into their description but the scary part is that there are people who REALLY believe they are something they aren’t, even if noone knows who they are. These people get hired/retained on a daily basis and on a daily basis they let down those that retain them.
Are you one of those people claiming something that isn't verified? Well fear not as I have two questions to determine if you are verified in real life. Before reading more, please agree to be open minded because if you approach what I say next in a defensive manner, you will never be verified in others' minds.
Question #1: Do you have a repeatable and scaleable formula for success that has been the foundation for your success?
I claim to know something about fighting heart disease as well as knowing something about winning in business. I have a very repeatable and scaleable formula that I can teach to anyone so that they can produce similar results. Check out a snipet on it here.
If you can't articulate how you do what you do plus show how you measure it's success or not, then it's not repeatable. If the path to success isn't clear or transparent then it's not scaleable. Let's compare an astronaut and a drug dealer as an example.
What do you look for in a verified astronaut? Someone who has been to space? If they have been to space, then you know they are verified. The process to become an astronaut is the same for everyone. Complete the curriculum and pass the necessary tests. That’s scalable. What about a drug dealer? Just because they sell drugs, does that make them verifiable? Would you ask more questions, like, have you been arrested? What keeps some drug dealers out of jail and some constantly being arrested? Wouldn't this small detail determine scaleability?
Question #2: Do you have a routine to ensure you do not allow for any unforseen variables in the formula mentioned in question #1?
We are all part of the formula for our success or failure. How do we ensure that we remain consistent in the formula to drive the results we predict.
Let's use a heart surgeon for example. She may have the winning formula for successful surgeries but one component of the formula is the surgeon (herself). How does she ensure she is the same for a Monday morning surgery as she is a Thursday afternoon surgery. Does she go about her day/weeks in the same way without compromise? What happens if she breaks her routine on Sunday? Can she still be ready on Monday?
Now, don't let the idea of a routine translate into robotic. Some people's routines are more like parameters. Routines can take many shapes and forms but the one thing they all have in common is that they can be executed on a consistent basis. Some peoples' routines are to drink 3 cups of coffee every morning whereas others' are to drink no more than 3 cups of coffee a morning.
We can all verify ourselves in social media land but what does it really take to verify ourselves in real life. I suggest it takes having a winning formula and a personal routine to deliver within that formula.
After reading this, how does this make you feel? Do you agree or disagree? Do you look at the blue check any differently now?
