Eventually, the mind becomes merely a Magic 8-ball of contradictory bits of wisdom bouncing off each other and bobbing to the window. The best we can do is to categorize them.

Yesterday's post has me thinking about branding, so here's my Magic 8-Ball—Branding Category:

Nobody likes a whiner.

Everybody loves a winner.

People crave authenticity.

"The market for something to believe in is infinite." —Hugh Macleod.

People like to be around happy people.

It's good to show a little vulnerability now and then.

Never let 'em see you sweat.

"A leader is a dealer in hope." —Napoleon Bonaparte

You've got to see yourself as other people see you.

You wouldn't care so much about what others thought about you if you knew how seldom they do.

"Tell all the Truth but tell it slant—Success in Circcuit lies." —Emily Dickinson

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

You are what you consistently do.

You are what you eat.

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

"If you want to draw a crowd, start a fight." —P.T. Barnum

People don't often remember what you say, but they always remember how you made them feel.

"Everybody already knows everything." —David Murray

Whether you're a person or a company, it is which of these notions that we apply to what situations, and how we do it—and the mysterious way it all interacts with Who We Really Are (and Who Our Audience Is)—that determines whether people find us lovable or even likable, compelling or even interesting, worth listening to or impossible to hear.

This is why, when someone calls him- or herself an expert in branding, it's an awfully big claim they're making.

Probably too big.

Then again, to win at this life you've got to act as if …