We see the trajectories all the time. They start out as your best kept secret, they hit commercial success and then they start the inevitable decline. Sometimes it’s so very painful to watch. Other times  you can’t wait to throw the dirt on them. The cycle.

How do we avoid the over exposure and crass commercialism that sends these shooting stars crashing back to earth? I think it requires a genuine intimacy and a not-for-everyone offering. There’s plenty out there so why try to be everybody’s everything? It’s the point where you step off the curb and get run over by your own success. You attempt to cover too much ground and lose the magic. Fatally.

We’ve all been hearing the stories lately of Dr. Oz and his preposterous claims of health, weight loss, anti-aging and colon cleansing miracles. What would cause such a gifted and talented surgeon to turn to snake oil? Eckhart Tolle, who changed my view of life with “The Power of Now” has turned to  “Moving Sale” with 75% off this week only. What? I know we all have to make a living but turning into “Bob’s Furniture” is such a shock to my system, it’s hard to contemplate.

At a certain point in our careers there will seem to be nowhere else to go but down. It’s not true but it will feel like treading water is not sustainable. The larger your audience the more susceptible and vulnerable you become. You make that main stream move that turns your dream into a shit sandwich. Like the heartbreak of psoriasis, our heroes and thought leaders overreach and show their naked ambition.

I am defining down my business model so that I can retain the spirit of what made me start my adventure in the first place. I say no more than yes these days to potential clients who might fatten my wallet but drive me shit house in the process. Not worth it to me or to them. I can also smell trouble from the outset. In my game, if you think you can’t work with someone, you can’t. Best to be up front about it and move on.

Like a guest who won’t go home or a speaker who stays on too long, weariness sets in and the change comes on. Trying to keep all the balls in the air with exaggeration and misleading statements are a sure killer.

The fall from grace is painful and eye opening. Think big, act small. Keep the magic.