Last Thursday I posted an opinion blogpost here about waiting and being stood up, and I was counseled by Rob Thomas, a great friend, that my tone was too negative.
OK, I can get frustrated, like we all can, at things that happen in my business life. Perhaps I was too negative. I was expressing a trend I see all too frequently. And don’t like. So I said something about it here.
In fact, 2 LinkedIn followers “kudoed” the blog post; signaling they agreed with me. I do not know them, but I appreciate their effort to comment back.
Rob is right. So are the other two. I am right as well. Who’s right-er? (Rhetorical question.)
We all come at our business branding with the sum total of our past experience, present mindset, and future aspirations. My intention is not to brand myself as a naysayer or whiner. The day I wrote that blog piece I was contemplative, perhaps seemingly self-righteous, stung a few times. Stings take a while to recede and settle down and disappear. I have heard from others that they enjoy the honesty I place here. But as I reflect back on that blog’s commentary, there’s a fine line between constructively critical and curmudgeonly angry.
So I thank Rob for being the intrepid conscience I lacked that day, the voice I should have heard in my head, the “should-I-or-shouldn’t-I” debate I ignored before posting.
Rob’s counsel is valuable beyond words in this blog. And to quote him, if you don’t know Rob Thomas you should! And you should buy his book too (my shameless self-volunteered plug!)
Positively!
We fail to ask that question “Should I or shouldn’t I? ” before we hit send. Not just with comments on Linked In or Facebook or face to face conversations. Thanks for the great reminder. I would also say that sometimes it’s necessary to shine some light on the dark side.
I am always glad to see your comments! Thanks Gail! Stay well.
There are 2 sides to every coin. Depending on which side you are looking at, that is what you will see. I agreed with you, Mark. Being late for an appointment is disrespectful and inconsiderate. I know that you were venting, but I also looked at it as a “lesson” for your community. You were telling a “story”, your story. People who know and respect you, will know that you were not being “negative”, but that you were trying to teach us all a “good lesson”.