This song lyric by Dire Straits has stayed in my head since the first time I heard it in my late teens. At the time, I thought it sounded funny and moved on. But over time, that notion has somehow parlayed into my career in client service. Not to be flippant about it, but communications practitioners can certainly relate to that sentiment every now and then, right?

There are days where I feel at the top of my game. I have my to-do list, I come in early to get a head start on the day, and my schedule is blocked off neatly, with provisions for time to do head-down work. And then there are Mondays, where the best-laid plans could be ruined in the face of a last-minute issue, a time-sensitive client request, or life happening. At the end of the day, we can only control the things within our power, and at the mercy of outlier factors that could derail our plans.

We each find ways to take things in stride. For me, every plan I make has a plan B and C, and I have created a safe place to channel my stress productively outside work.

Success can be fleeting, but so are bad times. I am a relentless hunter of silver linings, and a stubbornly glass-mostly-full kind of girl. So when I see Mark Knopfler’s lyric lives on today in the form of Instagram wisdom, I smile to myself when I think of its significance in my career. Dire straight-shooting, more like it.

Rohini Mukherji is a Vice President for Apex PR

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