//reality//

Two leaders, a decade apart, shared words that 1) built my integrity as a spokesperson and 2) lowered my blood pressure.

What did they say?

The first advice came while preparing for a press briefing in response to unwanted and distorted publicity. I commented that with the right spin, we could sway the media to our angle. After a quick, biting comment about that approach, I heard a better game plan: “Worry less about how things look and focus more on how things really are.”

The second piece of golden counsel dealt with a much different circumstance. Less than a year into running an organization, I called our board chair to announce bad news. A dark financial report caused me to panic, which proved easy for him to discern. His response provided the calm I needed: “Situations are rarely as good as they seem or as bad as they seem.”

Neither person gave me a solution. Instead, they shared something timeless and priceless -- the freedom that comes from embracing reality. Nearly a modern edition of the ancient wisdom: “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.”

©Copyright 2021, David Staal, all rights reserved

©Copyright 2021, David Staal, all rights reserved