You might wonder why I use only reviewers’ initials – instead of their full names with professional title, photo and link to their websites, as have become the trend/benchmark in today’s marketing.
First, let me announce that beyond using initials, the initials used are mostly not their real initials. Rest assured, however, that these are very real people, with very real results.
I have done this deliberately to keep in alignment with my values and principles. By opting for anonymity of my reviewers, I can stay aligned with my stance about not identifying a soul predominantly with their personality self.
If a testimonial writer is a “best-selling author”, is she or he more credible than a “primary school teacher”, for instance?
Part of what I advocate is the moving away from personality identification towards relating with one another as holistic spiritual beings. Every individual’s journey of growth and transformation is equally valid, whether they are a celebrity or quietly unknown. [Read this blog post for more about my stance on this subject.]
Is a publicly-unknown soul in Uganda less deserving of recognition for their growth than a “celebrity fitness guru” in the USA?
Part of my work is to shift humanity from the programmed “what should be” to a heart-centered, soul-guided “what’s aligned”. Being pressured (overtly or covertly) into what’s deemed successful according to societal norms, instead of following one’s heart, is a root of a lot of the world’s unhappiness. Success, according to me, is a fulfilled life, no matter what it looks like outside. Hence, if I blindly follow what everyone else does (“everybody does it this way”) I would only be reinforcing the opposite of what I believe and stand for.
This is, therefore, a conscious effort on my part to break away from a programmed response of the masses. A small step, perhaps, but an important one towards shifting and elevating the collective consciousness.
Lastly, as we are moving towards greater authenticity, this is a way to support that. We live in a people-pleasing society; we’ve been trained to people-please to survive. If we’re posting using our real name, might we filter and consider public opinion (consciously or not), producing a testimonial that is less-than-authentic? I want my testimonials to be real and genuine, neither holding back their raving nature nor exaggerating the benefits.