Last week, I wrote about how we ought to utilize optimistic and pessimistic feelings to our benefit. To recap, if feeling optimistic makes you lethargic, laid back and over-confident, be pessimistic. And if being pessimistic makes you anxious and panic, then be optimistic.

Rather than being at either extreme, we need to choose points on this Gray scale to end up somewhere between the two on every occasion.

Since then, I've come across many more areas where a Gray scale approach works best.

On publishing our goals. If telling others what your goals are adds an undue amount of pressure on you to live up to it, then keep your goals to yourself. However, if keeping your goals to yourself makes you procrastinate and not start on them or not approach them seriously, then tell everyone what your goals are.

On speaking up. If speaking up is recognised for the merit of what you say, then speak up. But if you find yourself in a situation where what you say is more likely to be used against you, then don't speak up. (Leave instead, but that's for another day.)

On being honest. If being honest will be perceived as valuable feedback and bring about a change of thought and action, then be totally honest. But if being honest is only going to bring hurt and no change, then choose to be kind instead.

I'll keep an eye out for more things suited to the Gray scale.