The Voice of Reality

Perhaps it is life's most sobering truism: life is not fair. Some people are born rich. Some are born poor. Some are born healthy. Some are born with a disability. Sometimes bad guys win. Sometimes good guys lose. And so it goes. Yet despite this reality, many of us cling to the notion that life balances out. At some point, we believe, those who do bad things, for example, eventually get what is coming to them. Charma is a term we give it. "What goes around comes around." How many times have we used that expression? It all points to the notion that good things and bad things eventually do balance out. Sadly, the hard truth is this is not necessarily the case.

My objective in pointing this out is not to be a party pooper or throw water on any one's hopes. Rather, it is to state this truth with the idea that for any of us to meet life's challenges on any kind of sustained basis, then we must have a good grasp of its realities. Just because one works hard does not mean they are always going to get ahead. It is the professional communicator's responsibility - duty - to remind others of this reality. Granted, we all like hearing what we want to hear. Few things make us feel better. Yet professional communicators are not in the business of simply making those that hire them feel good.

This is important to state because these professionals are often tempted to do just that. They guarantee success. They promise positive media coverage. They guarantee robust ticket sales. They guarantee good will. Making such promises is as wrong as it is a disservice to one's self and client. Successful communication practitioners must operate in the world of harsh truth. Never should they step outside that boundary or allow their client to do so. What they can and should guarantee is good and thorough effort. Particular results should only be presented as goals. Being the voice of reality is the essence of being a successful communication professional.