FBC – 261 – I got a story to tell…And you need to hear it

I got a story to tell…And you need to hear it.

Today, I have a story that everybody should hear… This story is about a critical subject and a trait that we all share whether we want it or not.

Take a second to listen to this episode and you won't regret it

Want a system as powerful (if not more) than having your own product?

Then click here: https://martinebongue.com/profit-machines

I've identified four different levels of your being.

So the first one is how other people see you. Could be good. Could be bad, but it's going to have an influence on you.

The second one is let's say you meet someone new and you want to show some aspect of your personality that's actually not true. There are a lot of situations where you end up somewhere.

And for whatever reason, you want these people to think that you're smarter than you are or you're more outgoing, and very often it’s to please other people in another group. So you're trying basically to create this persona. You want these people to think that this is who you are. So the second level is who want other people to think you are? Right.

Then the third level, it goes a little bit deep. It’s who you think you are. Which is different. Who you think you are is influenced a lot. by the first level that we've talked about, which is how other people see you. OK. Especially if you're easily affected and influenced by other people. It can have a serious, serious impact on who you think you are. OK. Positively or negatively.

This is a story that I actually wanted to tell you. OK, so maybe you heard the story. But listen. Hear me out and you'll see exactly what is the difference between who you think you are and who you actually are.

I was living in Paris a few years ago. And I liked to go to restaurants or establishments to have a really interesting and unique concept, you know, regardless what it is.

And I found this restaurant, which is a restaurant in the dark. So it's completely dark. You can't see anything. Its pitch black. And so I decided to go there. So I was there with the girlfriend at a time.

And so the purpose of this thing is to put yourself in the shoes of someone who can't see and choose to enhance your other senses. Because basically the challenge in there is for you to be able to tell what you're eating just by using your other senses and not relying too much on your eyesight, which is the sense that we actually use the most. We rely on that to do pretty much everything.

So anyway, when you get there, the waiters are blind. They know their way around the place. You don't. Right. You're basically holding onto the person's in front of you who's holding on to the waiter? And the waiter is like sitting you down and stuff. So basically, you end up in a situation where you're in this place that’s completely dark. And everybody's in the same boat, OK? And that's the thing. Adversity will bring people together.

So sitting next to us there was a couple. OK. So the girl was sitting next to me. OK. And so we started chatting. The whole thing lasts for like an hour and a half. So you start connecting with these people because you're all in the same boat. So I started talking to this to this girl.

And to be honest, she was smart. She was funny. We had a great conversation, and she was just a very nice person. Right. And super funny. So we were chatting and stuff and we bonded with them, were like, oh, man, that's awesome stuff. And here is it. And here's what happened.

So when you get out of the room, I basically had no idea what this girl looked like. And when she came out of the room, I saw this girl who looked like, you know, you see like that Paris Hilton with the purse and the wrist, like in 90 degree angle and like walking right back. This is what she looked like. And right at that moment, I realized something.

I realized that the person I thought it was, I had to admit to myself right at that moment, I had to admit that, you know what? Under normal circumstances, had I seen her in the streets, I never would have talked to her because I would have just thought that she was dumb or something or materialistic. And this is when I realized that profound difference.

I got a story to tell…And you need to hear it

You know, at some you know, some of the traits that you think you have, you will actually have them. But some of them, you might actually be kind of like lying to yourself. And I realized that at that point on that specific trait, I was lying to myself. I was actually judging her.

I would have been judging her without actually knowing her or talking to her. OK. So this is this is what I mean by the difference between who you think you are and who you actually are.

And it's important for you to, you know, regardless if it's good or if it's bad. It's very it's important for you to acknowledge this, you know, to recognize that. I realized that I had to fix this now because I don't like people who are too quick to judge and stuff.

OK, so this is what I wanted to do. And the message was also, please don't judge people too quickly like I would have done. And please understand that this is essential for you to understand who you really are.

Maybe you have it. Maybe you thought you knew who you are, but you might be stuck at this level of, dude I think I am this way, but sometimes. Uncover truth about yourself. Need to embrace it, and then you need to act upon it to fix it.

The story you keep skipping is the one that sells

You think nobody wants to hear your story. You are wrong, and it is costing you sales. I sold DVDs from a server in my closet in 2003 before I built anything that looked like a business, and the day I started telling that truth out loud was the day strangers started trusting me. People do not buy from the polished version of you. They buy from the version that struggled the way they are struggling right now. Your origin, your worst month, the reason you started, that is the asset you are hiding. I have coached 2,000 plus students and the ones who grow fastest are almost never the best at their craft. They are the best at being human in public. I lay out my own arc on my story page and dig into the mechanics of it across the Freedom by Choice podcast. The research agrees: Harvard Business Review on why narrative persuades where facts do not, and HubSpot on story driven content outperforming the pitch. Stop hiding. Tell the messy version. That is the one people remember.

Frequently Asked Questions

What life lesson does this story episode try to deliver?

This story episode is about a shared human trait we all carry whether we want it or not, and how stories transmit lessons faster than logic ever does. The point is not the plot. The point is the single takeaway you carry into your next conversation, decision, or post.

Why are personal stories the fastest way to learn a difficult truth?

Personal stories carry context, emotion, and consequence in one package. A theory tells you what to do. A story shows you what happens when you do or do not. Your brain remembers the story long after the framework is forgotten, which is why every great teacher uses both.

How do you turn a painful story from your own life into a lesson?

Wait until the wound is closed enough that you can tell it without anger or self pity, usually months later. Strip the story to the moment of decision and the moment of consequence. Skip the middle. The lesson is the gap between those two moments, and the gap is what others need.

What single trait does the episode say we all share?

The episode points to a trait we all share regardless of geography, income, or industry: the tendency to misread a situation we are inside, while easily reading the same situation from outside. That asymmetry is why mentors, peers, and honest stories from strangers are so valuable.

About the Author

Martin Ebongue is the founder of martinebongue.com, an online business and lifestyle design blog focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build location-independent businesses. Since 2014, he has been creating and scaling online ventures across multiple niches, from digital products and affiliate marketing to SaaS and content platforms, while traveling the world. He shares the real-world strategies, tools, and systems that work, with a particular focus on AI-powered automation for solopreneurs. Follow him on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

Related Reading

• FBC – 4 Part 1 – This is the story of my life: Success, Failure and The Hurdles.
• FBC – 3 – Escape your life of sacrifice! Don’t settle for less than your dream lifestyle.
• FBC – 8 – The Weirdest Challenge To Boost Your Confidence
• Other really cool tips that will give you an unfair advantage