The Things We Think And Do Not Say

Some people read the title above and immediately thought “oh boy, this might be a doozy… I’m staying away from it” and they moved on. Others might have read it and had their interest piqued enough to clicked on the article to read more. Some of you may even have sensed a vague familiarity with the title... and your senses would be right!?

A couple months back (December 2021) marked the 25th anniversary of the movie Jerry Maguire. One of the pivotal moments of the movie has the main character having some type of emotional breakdown that leads him to have a BREAKTHROUGH moment which motivates him to write a mission statement titled THE THINGS WE THINK AND DO NOT SAY - The Future of our Business. I saw the movie shortly after its release and it surely made a lasting impact on me. To this day it remains of of my favorite movies of all time.

The topic seems more and more relevant these days. It feels like it happens almost daily now that I come across another topic where everyone is literally tiptoeing around the core issue at hand. Take (for example) the growing demand that “everything must scale”… I mean, sure I get it… how do we produce more? But do we really need to? And at what cost? From my experience (and I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have anywhere near all the answers), but I don’t believe everything can be scaled; at least not feasibly. Also, I do not believe that we can always count what matters and what we can count, doesn’t always matter. Yet I see post after post trying to answer the question about scalability, growth and how to do more with less. How is it that quantity seems to have become the absolute priority and quality seems nowhere to be found? Or is it that "slow and steady wins the race" is simply not in vogue anymore? I mean, sure... rabbits may be cuter and faster but they only live 8-10 years. Turtles on the other hand live 20-25 years and box turtles can live to 100 years!

I’ve often read that as we get older, we care less about what others think about us and who likes us or not. Hence, maybe it’s a sign of me getting older but I don’t want to be “liked” anymore. I am not saying I am trying to be hated. What I mean is that I simply do not want to be motivated by what someone else likes. We hear the word authenticity and that people should be more authentic, yet (IMHO) fewer and fewer people are being authentic. And a big reason for that is that so many people simply stay silent… they think and do not say. When more and more it feels like what should be said is exactly what is needed! I don't know about you, but I can not even count the number of times in recent years that I have experienced the "elephant in the room". For those not familiar with that saying:

The intent of this writing is to encourage you to participate in bringing back more genuine authenticity. If you have something to say... say it, type it, record it, post it and share it. I believe the world needs the best from all of us and we won't get that if too many of us are afraid to say what we actually think! As hard as it sounds, try not to be concerned with how others will perceive it and whether they will like it or not. Trust me, I know how it feels. I've been working on this article on and off for a few weeks when it should have only taken 15 minutes. What initially inspired me was listening to David Goggins on the 16th of last month. (David Goggins is #16 on my 31 Days to Change Your Life list)

“…we will never learn from people if we tap dance around the truth”

David Goggins

I welcome you to join me on this journey of bringing to life our real thoughts without concern for what everyone else thinks.

Mike Steele - Sales Transformation Coach & Consultant