Thought of the day: we're told constantly that "caring is kindness." It's one reason we look to friends for support but not criticism. We trust that friends will be kind, and let's be honest. We all need kindness.

We just don't need it all the time. And this is where independent pros come in. They learn that caring is *not* necessarily kindness. Caring is honesty. Brutal honesty about what issues a person is facing, how these can be recognized, and how they can be tackled. Clients pay for us as pros to care about them in ways friends can't. By telling them what we really think, and what we're going to do about it. And they know that honesty is caring.

And on those occasions where we are kind, supportive and affirmative, it means the world to them.