Fluff kills!

“You will listen to your corporals. Their instructions will give you a better chance to survive.”

I reckon the other rookies scoffed at those words, like I did. I was fresh out of university, and conscription had caught up with me. I had dealt all my cards to stay out of the army… There were no more courses in my future, no more studying to be done. 

So there I was, blankly staring at a 19-year-old who would be my instructor, judge, and jury.
In retrospect, what he said was true.
None of the instructors promised anything beyond those words.
There was no sugar-coated jargon, no platitudes.
If you listened to your corporal or sergeant, your chances of survival increased, but without guarantees.
The instructors never offered hollow phrases disguised as motivational fluff.
Even now, I just cringe at the crud I see slapped onto corporate walls.

Strip the language. Keep what helps you survive.

I spot fluff this way:
1. If a message sounds like it could be printed on a mug, it’s probably worthless.
2. If it feels like it’s trying to make you feel something instead of telling you something, it’s selling you comfort, not clarity.

Recognizing fluff, matters, because bad information wrapped in feel-good language still gets people hurt, sometimes in the field, sometimes in their careers.
Nobody needs more noise dressed up as wisdom. We need lived-in instructions that actually help when things go sideways.