Dear younger me

Dear younger me,

What exciting times you live in.
You’re bursting with ideas and you want the world to notice.
Leave your mark. Make a dent.

And you’ll have plenty of opportunities for it.

But here’s something I wish I had learnt sooner:

Impressing people is not to be confused with making an impact.
Sounding smart is not the same as making sense.
And polishing your words won’t fix the gaps in your thinking.

What works is simple:
Say what’s true.
Say it plain and simple.
Use words that help others see it.

When you do, they’ll trust you.

You’ll spend your life helping others see that, too.
And it will be worth it.

Keep lighting the path,
Michael

Check out my new book
The PATH to Strategic Impact

Get The Art of Communicating in your inbox.
Short and actionable posts on how to find words that drive action.

I value your privacy. No spam. Just “Great stuff, brilliantly articulated” (to use the words of longtime reader David).

Read More

Fear of commitment

Better to play it safe because what if they don’t like it, right? Fear of rejection is one of the huge roadblocks in many corporate

Read »

Top of mind

So, you’ve done a great job at communicating your idea. People are pumped. What you said is the #1 topic during the coffee break. But

Read »