A few years ago, I was walking along the street when I saw a queer sight:
An elderly couple was walking towards me, together but not together.
The woman was walking on the sidewalk.
Walking parallel to her, but about 10 feet away and in the actual road where the cars go, was her husband.
“That’s a strange way to walk with somebody,” I thought.
As they passed, I heard the woman speaking to the man, without facing him:
“That’s good. The further you are, the better. I don’t want to see you or hear you.”
Like I said, these people were elderly. I guess in their 60s or 70s. They’ve probably been married for a few decades, or maybe a half century.
How fitting, I thought. It really sums up the human condition.
The woman can’t stand her stupid husband. And yet they are together. If anything happened to him, she would probably be lost.
I had a suspicion about this kind of thing for a while.
It didn’t become clear in my head until I heard a Tony Robbins talk on the matter.
All human beings have a few fundamental needs, says Tony. And all our problems surface because half of our needs directly contradict the other half.
Turns out we are all rather complex bundles of different desires.
And though we say we want one thing, the exact opposite urge is also lurking somewhere, not far below the surface.
So when you write your copy, keep this in mind.
Promise people excitement and novelty… as well as certainty and control.
Offer to make them unique and outstanding… as well as beloved and part of a community.
People want magic. They will go through their whole lives wanting to believe it’s true. All you have to do is to tell them it is in fact so.