Quick backstory. I was going through Instagram one morning and I saw the story of a famous person who I was following. Among the contents of the story was the picture of a friend from school – they had taken that picture the previous day. I was surprised so I had the following conversation with me friend:
That got me thinking…what do people see me/you as? Most importantly, what image of myself have I portrayed to the public? What impression have I created about myself? Personally, I know that some of the best words that describe me include complicated, among others. But, beyond that, what can people say about me? What is my reputation? Am I the peacemaker or the troublesome one? Am I a kindhearted person or am I regarded as a heartless and self-centered person? These are some questions tat I think we need to examine on our own.
I am not advocating that we live our lives to please people. Infact, I say that people are free to do whatever pleases them…duh, right? So, we do not necessarily have to go to bed and wake up wondering what the next person thinks of us. Truth is, we can do all we can to be a “decent” human being (and “decent” is relative – but that’s another discussion on its own) and everything can still be translated as something completely opposite of what we do. One part of this topic is what we do, the other part is how others perceive what we do. We have control over one, but not over the other. So, it is more profitable to expend our energy on what we are able to control.
To conclude this little rant, think about how you appear to others – for your own good. Again, this is not to say we should design our lives in order to get people’s approval. Some people will be able to acknowledge, with truth, the good in you. For others, no matter what you do, they will only see what they want to see – which may not be the true depiction of who you are. Now, should you carry on with a nonchalant attitude because “people will say what they want to say anyway”? Not necessarily. How people will respond should not be the bearing we use to decide whether or not we show the best part of ourselves. I believe that there is something good about having good report when one’s name mentioned in a gathering of others, especially when the subject of the conversation is not present.
That says a lot about who people say you are.
RANTS FROM THE PRIVILEGED SEAT 