September 20, 2016…a date which will live in infamy.

People will remember this dark day with tears in their eyes and ask, “Where were you when you learned Brangelina was over?”

The news coverage, memes, talk show commentary, video mockery, and rumors are flying so fast I’m surprised they haven’t broken the internet yet.

Especially since, according to some sources, the split caused a series of earthquakes in California…

Really?!?

Let’s be honest here – most of us will never actually meet these people.

Or even see them from afar.

Their divorce has zero impact on our daily lives…so why is it taking over the world?

The human mind works in mysterious ways, and we get small glimpses into it when the whole damn world rallies behind one (sometimes strange) cause like Brangelina.

That makes it a perfect time to learn something (or in this case…three things).

First, the things people care about aren’t always the important things.

Believe it or not…other stuff happened around the world on September 20^th.

But you wouldn’t have known it by looking at news publications.

That comment about earthquakes in California wasn’t a joke – I actually read that (and felt my soul die a little when I did).

CNN pushed coverage of bombings in New York to the sidebar to make room for Brangelina.

And so many other stories we didn’t get a chance to hear about because the world was consumed with the next juicy tidbit.

So, how does this apply to your business?

Too many people think logically when building their product or service offerings.

Clearly, the masses aren’t logical.

We are emotional beings.

How can you communicate the things people need to know in a way they will care about?

Second, people file thoughts away…they don’t forget.

Did you see the plethora of Jennifer Aniston memes that overtook the internet last week?

On September 19, someone making that joke would have been mocked relentlessly for being way behind the times. (Uh…2005 called…it wants its joke back.)

But in today’s world these jokesters are celebrated for their wittiness.

The Aniston/Pitt conversation wasn’t even relevant anymore…until it was.

If this history had truly been forgotten, no one would have laughed at those memes.

It is clear we all remembered.

We all got the joke.

When it comes to your business, what are you doing today that could come back to haunt you tomorrow (or next week or in five years)?

I’m not saying you have to be perfect 100% of the time, but not being aware of your impact can come back to bite you later.

Lastly, the internet converted our world to a giant game of telephone.

The gossip is everywhere.

Each rumor and story is more ridiculous than the next.

The craziest Brangelina comment I’ve overheard so far was “She left him because he let the kids eat McDonald’s.”

Now, I’m not an expert on this…but I’m willing to bet that is not the root cause of her decision.

Truth often gets lost in the grapevine when traveling at breakneck speed.

And, even though we all know you can’t trust everything you read on the internet…sometimes that gets forgotten.

Try to communicate in short snippets that are easy for people to remember and repeat accurately…and expect some items will still get lost in translation.

I hope these tips help you and your business find success navigating the post-Brangelina world.

Goodness knows our lives will never be the same!

Until then…stay passionate!