One of the hardest lessons in life to learn is that sometimes big noises, flamboyancy, and gigantic appearances are just not the best possible option. This philosophy is applied to individuals, products, and entertainment, as we often have a tendency to want to take a look at explosions and bombast. The problem with doing that is that you can easily get fooled and quickly get disappointed by what comes after the explosions and loud noises, and what is finally revealed when the smoke clears. Usually the answer is "Nothing".
No matter who you are, it is easy to be attracted to bombast. It is loud, attention getting tactics that make eyebrows raise, and mouths gape open with "Wow" effect. Whether it be folks that live and breathe braggadocio comments about what they can do, and how they are great and in demand of services, and can provide you with coolness and satisfaction just by association, or products that advertise bigger, better, stronger, faster, in loud voices, bombast is easy to mistake for quality. Bombast draws you in, and why wouldn't it because it is powerful, and colorful in ways that appeal to the basic visceral ideas that something or someone must be good because they have the balls to say so. The squeaky wheel gets oil, and bombast squeaks so loudly that folks investigate its need for attention and get sucked in by the loudness. We turn into children again who are fascinated by fireworks in the night sky. That's how bombast grabs and holds individuals because the "Boom" "Pow" and "Bam" metaphors are like magnets to our soul. The audacity, the chutzpah, and the loud words almost make bombastic things and people seem larger than life, and super. This is particularly true with entertainment as celebrities and musicians who are bombastic seem almost otherworldly because of the bragging, the flamboyant behavior, and the attention grabbing personalities, clothes and people that they seem to surround themselves with. They can't seem to shut up, and just as people do with products, they buy the individuals and see if the hype and talk is good and true, while getting sucked into a fantasy. When the smoke of their bragging, posturing, and larger than life behavior clears, it is usually revealed that there was nothing there. No substance, no foundation for excellence, and no ability to produce consistent quality. How many times have we purchased a product that was advertised to do amazing things only to find that the product performed no better than the item that you tried to replace it with. Sometimes it didn't even come close. Now there is a distinct difference between bombast, and confidence. Confidence is the inward belief of ability. Bombast is the act of trying to make everyone else believe it.
That brings me to what counters bombast and smoke, which is understatement. usually the folks who can do jobs, perform tasks, or have great abilities, rarely brag, advertise, or even talk about what they can do. Just as generic products have no huge "New and improved" label on the front, but read the back closely, and you will see that the ingredients on the back are just as good, or even better, or your friends and neighbors use the product and rave about it. Individuals and entertainment are similar. The understated individuals if you watch closely are not about bombast at all, because they are too busy hard at work taking care of business. And if you ask them about their work they will refer you to a body of work for you to review, or refer you to folks who have experienced what they do. Their work speaks for itself, and you make the judgment. Their philosophy is usually this: Do you like what you have seen? Great let's talk. If not, then move to someone else. There is no bombast, or smoke or loud noises. Only quality, and a body of work to be examined along with recommendations. They usually leave their assessment of what they do to be determined by what they have done, and there is no greater advertisement than that.
Whether it be products, contractors, actors, musicians, or just plain ordinary folk in your lives, beware of explosions, bombast and braggadocio. it is code for "something else is needed here". Quality does not need a helping voice. Quality is the voice itself, and quality is usually very quiet, and efficient, and boring. But wouldn't one rather have the boring efficiency of complete quality, rather than the discovery of nothing behind the smoke and explosions of bombast? Save yourself valuable time and listen closely. What you don't hear may be the best thing for you to look into.
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