Coconut and Pistachio

I recently experienced a disappointment where one member of a Board of Directors wanted me to speak to their association and another did not.  The person that wanted me to speak is a close friend of mine, loves my work and sees tremendous value in it.  The other person might not have seen the value of my work in that moment, or it could simply have been personal. In any case, the vote was obviously not unanimous to bring me in to speak and my friend had to deliver the news, which put him in a very awkward position.  Rather then make anyone wrong and to ease the blow, he explained that just because some people don’t like coconut or pistachio doesn’t mean they aren’t good or there is something wrong with them.  Instead, it’s about personal choice. Perhaps the other Board member was looking for someone a little more “vanilla” for this particular meeting.  No matter what, I strive to be a “coconut or pistachio” kind of speaker, because being considered “vanilla” might just take the sizzle out of my work for me. If you don’t want to spend your life as “vanilla,” you will most likely encounter situations where people may not on board with you and in this case on a Board that may effect you. I would rather be viewed as “coconut or pistachio” because being “vanilla” would make me just plain bored. Maybe that’s why Baskin Robbins has all those flavors.