I am willing to bet that just like me, you have your heroes: real people (Bill Gates) and fictional characters (Howard Roark in the novel "The Fountainhead").

Heroes are people you admire for their virtues, for being a certain way, or doing things usually in a specific way.

Heroes influence us in a good way; they inspire and motivate.

Unfortunately, bad influences are also part of life, and we are all influenced by what we observe and what we are exposed to daily.

Do you also experience being exposed to products and services, and feeling something is wrong? You immediately know that, to some extent, you are being lied to!

If you are like me, you dislike these experiences, and even when you don't give in to their enticing messages, they still have an influence.

That's more the reason to be extra careful when approaching your idea, product, and marketing thereof.

I think this is important not only because it's the right thing to do morally, but because it’s the best and most practical thing you can do – for yourself and your long-term success.

You want to watch out for automatically repeating the same practices you are exposed to, just because it is so common, because "everybody is doing it" and "it's no big deal," and of course because "it works."

Instead, follow your heroes and discard the bad practices.

That's true not only when you are marketing your idea, but also when you are developing your idea and creating a product or service.

When you clearly see your idea for what it is, you are in a better position to change it, make it better, find new opportunities, understand your target audience, and communicate (through your marketing) better.

When you fake reality, which is the essence of lying, you are setting yourself up for failure. Sooner or later, you'll have to face the truth. The later you face reality, the worse the impact it will have on you, and on your success in achieving your goals.

Bernie Madoff is an extreme example of faking reality and eventually facing the consequences. Here's what he said when he was caught: "It was a nightmare for me. I wish they caught me six years ago, eight years ago."

Find new heroes. Apart from being rewarding on a personal level, it helps you fight the battle with their opposites that you encounter daily.