Truth, plus truth, doesn't necessarily equal truth

5 Questions to Ask When the Narrative Feels Off

(A metaphor about coconuts, fear, and how truth can still be misleading.)

Here’s why it matters:

Truth can be real… and still incomplete.

Every year, tourists are injured by falling coconuts.
Coconuts are hefty, husked like basketballs, and they drop hard from tall trees.
In one true story, a waiter in Malaysia pulled a woman away from her seat just before a coconut crushed the chair she was about to sit in.

So yes, the danger is real.
But that’s only part of the story.

If that’s all you ever heard, you might avoid every tropical beach.
You might want the trees cut down.
You’d miss paradise while trying to avoid risk.

"Truth, plus truth, doesn't necessarily equal truth."

Here’s where most people go wrong:

They hear a story that’s true…
Then assume it’s the whole truth.

That’s how fear becomes a lens.
That’s how trust is built on cherry-picked data.
That’s how commentary becomes conditioning—and you don’t even realize it’s happening.

If you don’t question the narrative, you risk:

• Living small based on someone else’s fear
• Avoiding joy because of what could go wrong
• Trusting stories that are emotionally compelling—but strategically incomplete

Here’s what you should do instead…

Start getting curious.

Not every truth needs to become a full belief.
Not every story deserves your nervous system’s attention.

Truth isn’t just what’s said.
It’s also what’s left out.

5 Questions to Ask When the Narrative Feels Off

1. What’s missing from this story?
   Even true stories can be cropped to fit a fear.
2. Whose voice is this, and what are they trying to shape?
   Every story has a source—and sometimes, an agenda.
3. What do I know to be true in my body?
   Information lands differently when it’s filtered through intuition.
4. Am I treating something rare as if it’s constant?
   Coconuts fall—but not every day. Fear magnifies.
5. Does this make me expand or shrink?
   Stories should open your world, not close it.

Here’s an easy step you can take today to get started:

Notice a belief you’ve recently adopted from the news, a post, or a well-meaning friend. 
Ask yourself: 
“Is this story supporting my growth—or quietly shaping my fear?”

Because sometimes, the real danger isn’t the coconut.
It’s the lens we keep looking through.