Keep It Classy
Three simple words that are helping me live better
Recently I read a Medium piece for which the accompanying picture showed an older person using a rotary phone that was attached to the wall. Next to the phone, a posted note read:
“Is it truthful? Is it kind? Is it necessary?”
I’m socially awkward and one of my favorite things to do is just to blurt stuff out to see how people react to it, so in the course of my life I have said A LOT of stupid things. So when I saw that note, I thought, “Hey, those are good questions — I’m going to try and ask them before I speak.”
Let me tell you, adopting that approach — simply asking those three questions before I talk, as well as adding the bonus reminder to “keep it classy” — is really working out.
I strongly believe in truth and honesty, and in my day job, I write journalism about whistleblowers, who are known for their dedication to speaking the truth even when they experience dire consequences for doing so.
Most of the things I think about saying pretty easily pass the “is it truthful?” test, although I would also admit (at my spouse’s prodding) that I am prone to exaggeration and I need to keep an eye on that.
The second test question, “Is it kind?,” is not one I pass as readily. I’m not…
