Let’s talk about something that has never made sense to me:
Why is society structured in a way that makes fakeness the default and authenticity the exception?

Why are we so conditioned to be skeptical of each other instead of just… saying what we mean?

Why do we spend so much time decoding conversations instead of just having real ones?

If you’ve ever felt exhausted by the endless social tap-dancing—the cryptic, read-between-the-lines nonsense that makes every interaction feel like a puzzle—you’re not alone.

I see this in life. I see this in business. And I call BS on all of it.

The Root of the Problem: Why Do People Play These Games?

The way we communicate today is the product of centuries of conditioning, where we’ve been taught that:

✔ Belonging matters more than truth. If being direct could get you ostracized, you learn to play the game instead.

✔ People don’t trust what’s real because they’re surrounded by what’s fake. Authenticity is so rare that when people encounter it, they don’t know what to do with it.

✔ We are literally trained to be indirect. From childhood, we’re told to be “polite,” not “blunt.” We’re taught to phrase things just right, to avoid stepping on toes—even when that means talking in circles.

✔ Honesty is seen as a risk. Too many people have been burned for being “too much,” so they keep their real thoughts locked up.

And here’s the wildest part: most people don’t even realize they’re doing it.
They’ve been taught that “this is just how things are done.”

But have you ever stopped to ask: Why?

Who Started This? Why Did Society Evolve Like This?

This whole mess didn’t just happen. It’s the result of:

📌 Evolutionary survival instincts – Early humans needed to stay in the tribe, so direct honesty was often dangerous.

📌 Victorian-era etiquette nonsense – High society decided that politeness > truth, and it seeped into everything.

📌 Religious & political censorship – People literally had to speak in code to avoid persecution, and that habit never fully left.

📌 Modern PR & social media culture – We’ve trained generations to curate their personalities instead of just being themselves.

The result? A world where authenticity is seen as the exception, not the rule.

No wonder people second-guess everything.
No wonder everyone’s skeptical.
No wonder so many people feel lonely even in a room full of people.

Why This Feels Backwards to People Like Us

Some of us just aren’t wired for the game.

✔ We value real connection over performative niceties.
✔ We don’t waste time on fake friendships or cryptic conversations.
✔ We know within minutes if we vibe with someone—while they’re still over there “figuring us out”.
✔ We don’t feel the need to read between the lines because… there shouldn’t be lines to read between.

And because we’re in the minority, this world can feel frustrating.

People aren’t used to direct authenticity. So when they meet someone like us—someone who just is—they don’t trust it at first. Not because they don’t like us, but because they don’t even know how to process what’s real anymore.

So… What’s the Answer?

Honestly? The only way out is through.

➡ The more you show up as yourself, the more you give others permission to do the same.

➡ The more you reject surface-level nonsense, the more space you create for what’s real.

➡ The more you refuse to perform, the harder it becomes for others to justify their own performance.

And the best part? People are tired of playing the game. They want something real—they just need enough people to lead the way.

What Does This Have to Do with Business?

Everything.

The same phony, curated, say-the-right-thing culture that dominates personal interactions is what’s ruining modern marketing.

Too many business owners are trapped in the “play it safe” cycle—terrified to be direct, afraid to stand out, worried about being too much.

But you don’t build a standout brand by blending in.
You don’t create lasting impact by performing authenticity instead of just being real.
You don’t attract the right clients by watering yourself down into a beige, inoffensive blob.

The people who succeed? The ones who reject the game entirely.

✔ The ones who say what they actually mean.
✔ The ones who let people decide quickly if they’re the right fit.
✔ The ones who stop trying to be “for everyone” and focus on being for the right ones.

If You’re Done Playing the Game… Here’s What I Want You to Do Next.

Think about one way you’ve been holding back.
One way you’ve toned yourself down to “fit in.”
One way you’ve played the game, even when you hated it.

And then? Decide if that’s still serving you.

Because the world doesn’t need more filtered-down, polite, inoffensive brands, businesses, or people.
It needs bold, direct, wildly authentic leaders who are willing to shake things up.

This is exactly why I built my marketing strategy the way I did—because I refuse to participate in performative nonsense.

What about you?

Are you ready to stop playing the game?