Different Isn't the Enemy

It’s only in history that we look back on the people who bucked the trends to applaud their bravery. At the moment, they’re seen as crazy. Rebellious. Anarchists. Sometimes, stupid - each phrase carrying a different weight with the historical context. Looking at it all, it seems that different is too often the enemy in the moment and the heroin of reflection.

There’s a lot of pride these heroes will never enjoy because, by the time we applaud their decisions, they’ve become history too. Our cheers for rebellious acts are mostly echos. Our protagonists are into the abyss of whatever’s next before we realize they were changing the tone of history. 

I know this much. Being brave and different isn’t easy. That has been a theme of my life and these last few letters. Saying no. Standing up. Becoming uncomfortable. The pressure of every opinion falls with a lot of weight on our shoulders. 

Under that weight, we have two choices: stand up or wait until we’re history, too. Cheer them now or wait until the friendship is folklore. Be generous with our support, or wish we had. 

I want to cheer while I’m here. Companies like the Girl Scouts who say no to money that supports anti-trans campaigns. People like Sarah Morgan, Minda Harts, and Aubrey Blanche, who continuously fight for the voices who haven’t been respected as they should. I won’t go political in this letter, but yeah, him too. 

I also want to cheer the HR leaders that are changing bathroom signs. The recruiters who updated their pronouns in their email signatures last week. You. 

Standing up for what you know is right isn’t easy or straightforward. There are not guides, checklists, or whitepapers. It’s little and big acts you’ll be remembered for, whether you’re still a part of that company, in that community, or history. 

——

I won’t begin to compare “banning bullets in job postings” with some significant act of rebellion in history, but it turns out that it is something people remember about me. For a while, I was at war with those bulleted lists. I argued. I fought. I also had data to prove a job post without bullets performed better. 

I quit. 

I know the truth. People don’t give a shit if I think we should ban the bulleted skill lists on job posts. Y'all love some bullets in your job postings. It’s a fetish, even, and my three ears aren’t going to change that.

So in this week’s post, I’m waving the white flag on that fight. I give up. Instead of fighting it, I’m going to teach you how to write better bullets in a free live coaching session. There are only 100 seats, so if you’re interested, get your spot early. I’m also sharing Sarah Morgan’s Black Blogs Matter challenge. We all need to read these posts.

Have a great weekend -

Katrina

I write a letter like this every week. Make sure to follow my account to see them on LinkedIn or go to newsletter.threeearsmedia.com to get a copy directly in your inbox.