Rush with good news – drag your feet with bad

My dad, Chubby, had an uncanny knack for condensing life savvy into short, memorable phrases that I now lovingly call Chubby Rules.

Brian with gifts. Always good news!

Chubby observed that the world (particularly the media) operates in reverse. So many people revel in listening to and spreading reports of mass shootings, scandal, infidelity, gossip, reputational ruin and the bad breaks/hard times of others. It seems to consume their life.

We have a television in the dining room at our law firm. When the televised news is normal or good, everyone eats and chats, barely noticing. When the news becomes bad, the chatter quiets as all eyes become glued to the screen.

Chubby’s advice? Don’t become part of that unfortunate scene. Shun the bad, unless you’re willing to step in and try to make it better. Never proliferate bad news, bad thoughts or bad rumors unless your professional or moral obligation requires.

I admit that I’m still often tempted to pass on the bad, to spread the manure. It’s like a mean-spirited devil inside, goading me to “get dirty & low.” We must have the strength to say “no.”

The logic is inescapable. Why not drag your feet with bad news and give it a chance to turn good or stale (which it invariably does)? Why not spread good news before it has a chance to turn bad or stale?

Chubby said, “Greg, every word you speak, every letter you send says something about you. Let that ‘something’ be that you bring good news.”