u/GWBrooks

Today, for the first time in 41 years (journalism first, then flacking), I'm no longer doing PR, public affairs, or marketing day to day. Still got a gig; the money's still good. But we're moving things around, and that was the piece that landed on the floor.

Feels weird. Not bad -- just weird.

I'll get dragged into messaging and crisis stuff because I'm (and I say this knowing you believe it about yourselves, too) the best writer in most rooms, most of the time.

But still: A bit of an end-of-an-era vibe. Thanks for listening.

Long-shot request but: Does anyone have (or know someone who has) an old circa-1970s/80s AP laserphoto receiver? I'm feeling nostalgic for my newsroom days and trying to buy one.

Been reflecting on how my quirks have helped me or held me back over the years. It's more about age than enlightenment, but I think I finally have an inventory of the self-sabotage stuff, even if I (still!) don't always have full control of it.

And so it made me wonder: What are your PR/career quirks that, newly discovered or chronic, you wish you could fix? I'll post mine in the comments.

(Anyone who's perfectly self-actualized, in balance, and chanting on a mountaintop can skip this post -- it's for the rest of us.)

I'm sure money is part of it for most folks. But if you remove that, what makes you stay in the business and lights you up?

Answering my own question: For me, it's about feeling smart. If I'm doing smart work, I'm bulletproof. If I'm doing dumb stuff (and PR has endless horizons of dumb stuff), I get cranky and depressed.