Burn the old rule books. Keep warm by the fire. Sara Tasker – Me & Orla: [snipped]
- “Your time and attention are not public property. You get to spend them however you see fit.
- Just because somebody shouts loudly in your inbox does not mean that that they are entitled to be heard. Often, it is in fact a good indicator that they are not worth listening to.
- Refuse to tolerate passive aggression. I mean, it is literally a form of aggression. We shouldn’t even have to question this.
- Just because you have a ‘platform’ (a spurious notion to begin with – I mean, don’t even get me started) does not mean you owe your voice to whoever makes demands of it. You do not have to draw attention to every charitable cause and global disaster equally once you pass some magical follower threshold. You are not a news broadcast station with a team of 50. You are just a regular human being.
- Making a mistake does not mean you have to endure the criticism of strangers. Nope – not even if you f##ked things up big time. What can be gained, once you’ve understood your error, from bludgeoning yourself repeatedly over the head with the rage of random strangers? They are there for the drama, not for the growth.
- Refuse to outsource your opinion on all matters of the heart. Never trust anything more than yourself (or, when appropriate, a credentialed expert).
- Take feedback and criticism from those who love you, who see you and will always tell you the truth. Learn about your errors and grow, but feel free to do so in private. Your life is not performance art….”