I can’t remember who exactly told me this, but the saying; “Your reputation will precede you” has always stuck with me. It’s one of the many reasons I choose to always uphold myself in the best manner in all situations, as you never know whom you will encounter later on in life. Furthermore, you don’t always know who has got their eye on you, and trust me there are always more than you think.
During my usual daily peruse of online content, I recently read an article where it was discussing the fate of an unfortunate employee; let’s call him Jeremy. Jeremy was in relationship for three years and when he wanted to call it quits instead of ending his relationship properly, he ‘ghosted’ his then girlfriend, let’s call her Veronica. Fast forward some years and it turns out that Veronica will now be his new boss at a new job. Now obviously he has a choice to make and I know exactly which one I would choose, but this is a perfect example of the aforementioned quote. Extreme as this situation with Jeremy may be, it highlights the fact that the world is a very small place and ‘six degrees of separation’ is very real. So, I say all of that to ask two quick questions, “What lasting effect are you having on those around you, friends, family and/or colleagues?” and “What do people say about you when you’re not around?”.
I remember saying the above quote to a friend of mine at work and after some discussion she understood my point and the importance of said quote. When she left the company, no one had a bad thing to say about her, or if they did, they didn’t have a leg to stand on. Her reputation and how hard she had worked was there for all to see. When I left my most recent employer, I found myself in a similar situation. Not that I was expecting a plethora of gifts, but the fact people who I wasn’t even close to went out of their way to buy me something or even persuade me to have ‘leaving drinks’ meant a lot. I really didn’t know that I had such a positive effect on people, but it was humbling all the same.
Now, we are all aware of that particular person in our lives who know what to say or do to push our buttons, but why not try this the next time they do: smile sweetly and remove yourself from the situation. If you manage to walk away without rising to the bait go and buy yourself an ice cream, you should be proud of yourself!
Remember in all things… your reputation will be precede you, so why not make it a good one.
Until next time….
Dee.x