In Defense of Clichés

I’m amazed that everyone is so down on clichés. Let me put it this way: when push comes to shove, clichés are a great way to make sure we’re all on the same page. People get clichés, so there are no ifs or buts. Clichés are tried and true, they work like a charm – it’s not rocket science.

Look, I’m sick and tired of people telling me to think outside of the box. Some of us give 110%, but not all of us are rock stars. Not all of us want to push the envelope all the time. Once the genie is out of the bottle, it’s too late for a paradigm shift. That’s a given. And at the end of the day, the path of least resistance has a lot going for it.

Let’s get back to the basics here: It’s about getting through to people, and clichés are a slam dunk on that score. We’re all in the same boat, and the proof is in the pudding. Sure, the ball’s in my court because I’m out on a limb here, but I’m willing to step up to the plate,

OK, I’ll give you a heads-up: I’m no genius, I’m no smarter than the average bear. I don’t mind grabbing the low-hanging fruit; I’m happy to leave the cutting edge stuff to the leading lights. The bottom line is that it takes unflinching determination to push through, but I’m no Sir Galahad. I’m just a team player, and I do my level best not to drop the ball.

I’d love to blow your doors off with my writing, but the truth is that I can’t raise the bar that high. I’m no Shakespeare or Steinbeck, or even a Mark Twain. The way these guys write just blows me away. Maybe they saw the writing on the wall while I was turning a deaf ear.

I’m no visionary, evangelist, or thought leader either. A man has got to know his limitations. Visionary. Evangelist – I love amazing words that take your writing to the next level. And fancy ones like mesmerize, incentivize and monetize. Let’s think strategically for a moment: if we put amazing words like these together with powerful clichés, we’ll have a marriage made in heaven. We could own this space, right?

Sometimes I wish I could be more innovative and come up with an actionable idea that we can monetize, an idea that just blows all the other guys out of the water. Or come up with a value proposition that has real synergy, and one that is future-proof. I’d love to develop a strategic idea that goes viral, one that ticks all the right boxes. Of course, we’d have to make sure we don’t leave money on the table.

Sometimes I think I need to take my game to the next level. Maybe I should bite the bullet and crank up the pace so I can hit the ground running. Maybe I need a mission statement to get more traction, but I’m no Einstein so it’s not exactly a level playing field. I won’t get the same kudos as the top guns do, let alone the 800-pound gorilla in this patch.

Clearly I have to put more work into my core competencies, if I want to be seen as Best of Breed. I’m not willing to throw in the towel yet, and it goes without saying that I’m not ready to bite the dust. At this point in time, I can see the writing on the wall and the light at the end of the tunnel – you know something? That’s really confusing.

Maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board, to turn over a new leaf. Beggars can’t be choosers, you know. Yeah, maybe it’s time for a big re-think going forward, before all my chickens come home to roost. Now here’s the 64,000 dollar question: what if the elephant in the room tramples all over my chooks?