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Who you are speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you’re saying. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I heard this quote in a presentation yesterday. It was almost a toss-away by the presenter but it struck me and I have been thinking about it since. Are good ideas  being missed because of personality? Am I being ignored when I am provocative? When I say something, are my words colored by the character you see? Yes, No, Maybe.

I am wrestling with the impact of an identity that I have embraced and cultivated over the past 15 years and the possibility that I could be more impactful if I was less so. My brand gives me a dais and a venue but I wonder if I have reduced my potential audience by being slightly contrary and vocal.

When I ponder how I react to personalities, I am either drawn to them and therefore their words or their character repels me and I only hear what I need to hear to confirm my impression. Just yesterday, I was critical of an environmentalist who spoke of society with contempt and I am not sure if what I heard was exactly what he was saying because I ws turned off by his rancor.

Luckily for me, everything is a draft and so I have time to struggle and adapt, if I believe I need to soften my delivery if not the message.

Make Today Remarkable, by wrestling,

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