This is part three of a three part series: Be something. Do Something. Say something. That is the story. There are three parts to every idea that exists in our conscious or subconscious. Maybe it's not a series, but more accurately a set. The order can certainly be debated.
Often times we are just 'being ourselves' and 'doing what we do' and then people 'say' stuff about us. If what they are saying doesn't match up to who we think we are, or how how we thought our behaviors would be perceived, then we have tension. Similarly if we start by saying something that inspires a behavior that doesn't match with who we are, then there is tension.
This tension happens in our personal lives in the same way it does with brands or political situations. If all three legs are not supporting the same story then there is instability that creates a lack of trust and leads to discomfort that we then attempt to avoid. Whether we are avoiding ourselves or others does not matter for this story, the result is the same and it's not good.
So where should we start? Should we first decide who we are and why we do what we do? This is Simon Sinek's observation: Start With Why. Should we just show up every day and start doing something as Seth Godin or Steven Pressfield in War of Art suggest? Or should we start by say something in the form of a goal as any great coach would advise and then work towards that?
In the course of reading this, and in the course of writing this we've already begun to think about the order and if you reflect upon what's going on you'll likely agree that there is no correct order. There is no fixed pattern. The three parts are always in flux.
However, what's not in flux is the undeniable reality that there are ALWAYS three parts: Being. Doing. Saying. If they are not in harmony then the 'idea' is hard to trust.
You are living the three legs right now even in the 5 seconds it took you to read this sentence. Think about it.