We've all been full of ourselves at one time or another and it gave us a false reading that our tank was full.

I have a history in the broadcast industry where there is no shortage of people who think they are the "be all and end all" of the airwaves. Bluster and blowhardedness are the telltale signs of them being filled with a different kind of gas.

Many physicians I've experienced must have taken the same class during their schooling - the one that suggests they're filled to the brim with knowledge that you would be a fool to question.

But a false sense of fullness is not limited to broadcasters and doctors; it afflicts us all.

What's the one thing that you have no evidence for that you keep spouting as the truth? In other words, where are you full of shit?

It's one thing to have a theory; it's another to pass it off as the truth. It's like my late mentor, Dr. Dave Dobson used to say, "Theory is bullshit; defending your theory is bullshit squared."

We have no corner on the truth, but too often we claim we are filled with it.

When someone is constantly selling themselves, that's your first clue that they are running on empty. They are attempting to convince themselves, even more than you, that what they are saying is absolutely true.

What are you selling that even you don't believe?

As long as you keep filling up on it, the emptier your tank gets.

Reminds me of a recent story . . .

Our seminar coordinator was talking with a general manager of a radio station who was unwilling to run the necessary inventory of commercials we needed to put on a successful event. We have years of evidence as to what amount of inventory will work and what won't. This guy wanted to reinvent the wheel.

He wanted us to run half the commercials that our proven formula calls for, and his rationale was that he was going to run this lesser amount over a longer period of time and the result would be that they would reach more of his listeners. My initial thought upon hearing this was, if you gave me a computer without any power, I would have a boat anchor; if you gave me two of them, I'd surely sink.

We passed on the deal that this fellow was passing off as the truth.

It's time we all checked our tank to find out what's really in there. If you are in denial about being close to empty, it won't be long before the only thing you are filled with is yourself.

All the best,

John