If there is an elephant in the room, introduce it.
When reality matters more than comfort
Hi. Today’s sticky is:
If there is an elephant in the room, introduce it.
This idea is from The Last Lecture, a powerful little book about living, written by a dying man, Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch. The book is somewhat of a miniature autobiography.1 It reviews key points in his life but also how he prepared for his last lecture at the University, ultimately the last he would ever deliver.
Pausch didn’t want to get too far into his talk without bringing up his terminal cancer. Most of the audience would have already known about it, so it would be odd to not address it. And yet, not talking about big things is so common that we have a phrase for it: the elephant in the room.
I scribbled When there is an elephant in the room, introduce it as a reminder to myself to be the one who isn’t afraid to tell the truth. Yes, it can be uncomfortable. But the truth is what is real.
Of course, I don’t always introduce the elephant. And sometimes comfort does have to take priority. But not always. I can choose bravery. Hence, the reminder.
What do you think?
Love,
Kate
Pausch had help from a professional writer, Jeffrey Zaslow, who co-authored the book.