Sounding profound means simplifying to the point of uselessness.
For example, consider a few profound words I shared recently…
How to create a great quote:
- Live.
- Learn.
- Journal.
- Summarize your journal in one sentence.
You’ve got to admit… that does sound pretty, dang profound, doesn’t it? Yeah, I thought so too. But check out the pattern:
- Is it a simplification? Definitely.
- Is it actionable? Not by itself. For it to be any, real use, you have to make it more specific.
Consider other statements you think sound profound. Test them. They all fit this pattern.
If all you care about is sounding profound, all you have to do is follow the pattern.
Marshall,
Am I missing something?… sounds solid to me. You’ve got to experience something of life (live) to see some value (learn) and after a period of reflection (journaling) come away from it with a concise statement to share. It’s only profound if (hopefully) it hits someone else square between the eyes and becomes useful if it saves the other time, money, inner conflict, etc.
~ blessings!
No, you’re absolutely right. You’re explanation is exactly what I meant.
My four simple steps need to be clarified further for anyone to actually act on them and for them to be useful. We use those “profound statements” (like all the quotes you see on Twitter) as placeholders. They don’t actually explain what to do – they’re too general. But they do remind us of the specifics of what to do… because, like you, when I read those four steps, I don’t just think of those exact for steps. I think of all the specifics of living and learning and journaling too.
So yeah, I was being a little coy on purpose. Overall, I’m not necessarily dissing profound statement, even though that’s the tone of the post. I just think there’s a ton more to it than the simple one-sentence statements we like to throw around to sound profound.
-Marshall Jones Jr.
I follow you and appreciate the cleverness in your post! Guess I’m sometimes too literal for my own good. Yes, we can become sounding too profound, simplified, even smug if there’s no substance behind it.
I think those simplified nuggets of life we read can really be a step or boost to raising the bar in our lives. Also, the fewer words the better, like the old Nike slogan: Just Do It. Now, doesn’t that propel one to rise to the occasion? To run, or give that talk, or write that book. I think the biggest caution is too many ‘profound’ quotes ‘throw[n] around’ can lose their impact.
Blessings,
Carmel
Very well put.
Don’t worry about the “too literallness.” Most of what I post on this blog here is straight from my stream of consciousness. I don’t even understand what I’m talking about most of the time. It’s more like a public journal.
-Marshall Jones Jr.