WHAT FACTS DO AND CANNOT DO!

Facts are good for planning and managing and sometimes they are just useless information. Fast facts are what we use to make quick and sensible decisions. We use facts when we need to state our case or to construct a legal argument. We use facts to prove a point, win the support of those who are skeptical of our position and to judge for ourselves. Facts cut through emotion. They help us analyze and evaluate. Facts make up statistics, help us create charts and graphs. Facts, like anything in life can be skewed and to look different from what they really are. Facts are transitory and inconsistent. Facts change. Facts help us to note declines and increases. They diminish and they escalate. Facts help us compile lists and they set the framework by which establish data bases. Facts bring us face-to-face with ourselves. Facts help us with research and to conclude our clinical trials with findings. Anyone who has ever worked with facts knows that too many facts can be tiring and exhaust us. Facts can give us headaches and blur our vision if we stare at them too long. Facts can put us back or move us forward. Facts can be amazingly accurate or monumentally misleading. Facts can make us an insider so we can get our foot in the door or leave us out in the dark. Facts can prevent us from making mistakes or escalate the possibility of us making errors. Facts tell us that 304,059,724 people live in this country and that 85 million of us are in school and that over another 19 million will enroll in courses this coming fall. We can rely on facts to tell us that 15% or more of these students are over the age of 35. Facts indicate that over 140 million Americans are now retired. According to American Association for Retired Persons (AARP) people aged 50-plus control 75 % of the nation’s disposable income. Facts reveal that the civilian labor force in the United States is projected to reach 166.9 million by 2018, which is an increase of 8.2. Percent. And, it is facts that recently confirmed that less 39 % of people under the age of 25 are satisfied with their jobs. However, here’s what facts don’t tell us. They don’t say “That no man is happy that does not think himself happy” Publilius Syrus (1st Century BC). Facts cannot instruct us to seize the day or that chance is always powerful. Facts do not guarantee us that if we teach what we know to others that they will appreciate our help or that we will delight doing so. Facts neglect to disclose that the wealth of the spirit is the only true wealth that brings us consistent happiness and that our lives and careers are what our thoughts make of them. They do not say that everything that is done in the world is done by hope (Martin Luther , November 10, 1483) and the truth is the safest lie, or that the ultimate wisdom is to live in the moment, plan for the future but profit from the past. In the end, good facts are worth much and cost little. Facts can only assist us to come to conclusions and sometimes, to solve problems but we must be cautious, because we can dwell on facts too long and give them too much power over us. It’s incredible how many people have used facts to become more anxious instead of making facts work for them. What facts will you state today and, how accurate will they be?

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