Telling The Truth

There was a discussion
online
about word count targets
for stories.

An editor
for a large New York Publisher
shared her preferred word counts
for submitted stories.

Writers jumped on her,
telling her she was being
small minded,
was limiting their creativity,
was censoring their thoughts.

She muted comments on her post
and withdrew from the conversation.

I posted recently here
about building a business
during climate change.

NONE of the people
who contacted me
liked that post.

The environmentalists
told me
we have enough businesses.
We don’t need any more.

The business folks
told me
things like
the world is always changing
and
businesses should be built
for what is happening today
because the future isn’t certain.

I’ll continue to tell
my truth here on client k.
It is one of the reasons
I’m semi-anonymous.

But often,
when we yell at the people
telling us their truths,
they stop sharing their truths
with us.
We lose their insights,
their expertise.

Encourage the people
who tell you their truths
even if you don’t agree with them.

Be The Example

I went to a dinner
a few days ago
and there was a recent grad
sitting with us
at our table.
He had landed a job
at a well known company
doing something
he had no absolutely interest in doing.

Many people at the table
told him
not to f*ck that job up,
to cling to it,
to give up his ‘dreams’
of working in another industry,
at another job.
That one job
at that one company
was his future.
There was no money
in his dream industry.

At which point,
I looked the new grad straight in the eyes
and said, “I write romance novels for a living
and there is PLENTY of money in THAT industry.”

I had to then deal with the usual sneers
and the mocking from ignorant others
but the new grad had questions
and I supplied answers and suggestions
and, most importantly,
hope.

I was a much needed example
of someone doing things differently.

As you are reading this post,
I suspect
you are also doing things differently.

Be an example for others.
Supply hope.