I heard it again on national television last evening…….’if it sounds too good to be true, then it is.’ The announcer even said it like…”If it sounds too good to be true………” and left the last part for the audience to fill in….before he finished it himself, affirming that everyone already knew the full phrase. He said it as he nodded his head….knowingly….which is supposedly to denote some kind of wisdom, I am assuming.
I believe another variation might be “Get real!” or is it something like, “Dumb down!” or “Live small!” or maybe, “Careful! You might get hurt!”
It is usually said in retrospect….after the final results of some issue are in.
I have a few acquaintances who did extremely well when the stock market was rising. They were wise or lucky, as the case may be, to get out before the crash. For those who stayed in, these television announcers began to suggest that things ‘looked too good to be true’. I have even heard someone suggest that those who stayed in the market did so ‘out of greed’.
It almost sounds like they are suggesting we avoid investing time and money in possible big winners and go mediocre instead…because that is at least ‘as good as it gets’ rather than being ‘too good’.
Could it be that to look at what might be too good to be true might require we look at our lives? We may notice that there are things we might need to change if we actually reached for the stars.
Examples of other ‘too good to be true’ items, if we are to be cautioned against them….
Meeting our soul mate, exactly as we dreamed
Receiving an inheritance from a distant relative
Being given the promotion shortly after being threatened with severance
Having the winning ticket in a home lottery
I could go on and on, couldn’t you?
Now here’s the interesting thing…..the same words are used again, but instead of suggesting we run, because it was ‘too good to be true’ we are now encouraged to celebrate, because it was ‘too good to be true’. To me, it sounds like covering all the bases!
It reminds me of the story of the guy who prayed every day to win the lottery….one day a booming voice responds, “Well, give me a break. At least buy a ticket!” But to do so would be to play the ‘too good to be true’ game, yes?
Ever been offered a chance to look at an opportunity to earn extra income?
That is sometimes relegated to the category of ‘too good to be true’.
Well, I have looked at a few and you know what? They promise big rewards which are very possible….. and definitely not too good to be true for those who play at a 100% level! So, for the successful, it is too good to be true….for the unsuccessful, it is too good to be true! See how confusing it can be?
I certainly noticed that it triggered a reaction in me to anything that required me to get outside my comfort zone.
I suggest that life itself is risky and it is awesome to read life stories of people who have ‘heard’ the too good to be true cautions, but didn’t ‘listen’ to them.
Here’s a ‘what if’……if my life isn’t ‘too good to be true’ then maybe I’m not truly living the life I love….and being true to myself.
On a last sobering thought, what if you were on the potential receiving end of something great and it didn’t happen…..because that someone was told you were too good to be true! Ouch!
Yes, it is true……at least, I believe it is true…..each one of us, exactly as we are, is a ‘too good to be true’ person/potential for someone out there! It might be someone we already know or someone we will soon meet.
How about we give the ‘too good’ folks a wide berth for awhile. Maybe try something we have jammed into a corner due to the influence of the TV or others. That might matter!
Rich