Big enough is big enough, biggest isn’t necessary. Seth Godin
In an article titled Infinity: they Keep Making More Of It, Seth Godin describes the dilemma of our obsession with numbers. In a global, mobile world, there’s no practical limit to growth and, apparently, no such thing as big enough.
Our culture defines churches, businesses, and Facebook pages by their numbers: most members, customers, or “friends.” Big seeks biggest; more seeks most. Enough ceases to exist.
When I wrote Relentless Grace, I naively vowed to avoid marketing and promotion. I wanted to tell a story that I sincerely believed might touch lives and help readers. I wanted simply to communicate with people who search desperately for hope.
But communication requires an audience, so we publish books, write blogs, and speak to groups. And a subtle transformation begins, because book sales, blog hits, and group sizes are numbers. Bigger numbers mean more people hear the message; I’m snared by the lure of more.
More changes my unit of measure. I shift from quality to quantity, from best to biggest. I focus less on telling the story to those who need to hear it. I concentrate on strategically attracting listeners.
More tempts me with a clever, devious twist of purpose. After all, if the goal involves telling the story, what’s wrong with telling it to more readers? More whispers that bigger really is better.
More demands a false choice. There’s nothing inherently wrong with bigger, as long as that’s not the only target. When bigger is achieved through quality, honesty, integrity, and relationship, it’s an effective expansion of our circle of influence.
Where are you sidetracked by the lure of more?
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