Ah,
You're feeling less than because someone on a screen said something stupid.
Sweetheart,
Please.
You've stared down actual crises and you're letting a keyboard warrior rent space in your soul for free.
That's not just a waste of time.
It's a waste of perfectly good adrenaline.
The world is massive,
And I promise you.
.
.
In five minutes,
That person won't even remember they opened their mouth.
Why are you still holding on to it?
Close your eye.
Drop the veteran label.
Drop the target of criticism label.
What's left?
Which is the experience of leadership.
That capacity you have.
That great.
That ability to hold a line.
When everything's going pear-shaped.
Is the same in Sydney.
As it is in London,
Tokyo or anywhere else.
It's universal.
It's not bound by a postcode.
People like Rockefeller or the folks over at the Atlantic Council.
They didn't get to where they are by worrying.
About what some local grump thought of them.
They understood that leadership isn't about being popular.
It's about being useful.
You've got skills to bridge the gaps.
Solve the impossible.
And laid when it actually matters.
Don't let some small-minded opinion make you forget the magnitude of your own toolkit.
Sunnyata.
Emptiness.
That person's opinion is empty.
It has no inherent existence.
It's just sound waves.
You're the one giving up mass by caring.
Stop feeding the illusion that their words have power over you.
Your worth isn't a currency they can devalue.
Think of the Commonwealth,
The EU.
Vast networks of humans solving real problems.
They don't care about the gossip.
They care about results.
Your resilience.
Is a global commodity.
When you walk into a room.
You aren't just you.
You are a legacy of service.
Adaptability.
And composure.
Own that.
When you feel that sting of annoyance,
Ask yourself.
1.
Is this opinion based on reality or is it just noise?
Does this person have the standing to even critique my past?
3.
Am I shrinking my world to fit their tiny view or am I expanding it to fit my own?
Take a deep breath.
Imagine the glow.
Shrink that negative voice until it's just a speck in the middle of the Pacific.
Now expand your own presence until you're the one holding the map.
I'm done.
You're a leader.
A real one.
Not the kind who needs a pat on the back.
But the kind who stays standing when the wind blows.
Stop waiting for the world to get it.
The world is already waiting for people like you to step up and stop listening to the background chatter.
You're perfect.
You're capable.
And you're absolutely not someone who should be worried about a cheap shot.
Now go do something big.
The world's waiting.
And it's a lot bigger than your local news feed.
