A Good Reputation Is Everything
“Take care of your reputation, it’s your most valuable asset.” — H Jackson Brown Jr
The actions that we engage in either make or break our reputation. This part of our life is largely in our control and we must take care of defining it ourselves, lest others do it for us.
Designing a good reputation has been a priority for me. Doing so has helped me stay on the path to serendipity and receiving opportunities in life. It has also helped me network with like-minded people and exert a positive and powerful influence.
Continuing to put in the work and optimizing certain aspects of life only strengthens and reinforces this reputation. It eventually refines into a one-line definition of who we are. Short and sweet, instead of long and vague.
How do we design and manage a good reputation?
The foremost thing to do is embrace our uniqueness and voice. We stand for something and we are good at something. When we put our most natural foot forward, we show authenticity and this attracts people.
Creating something of value for others shows what we stand for — our higher purpose of making the world a better place. At present, I am able to do this mainly through this newsletter.
Growing our network by adding depth to our relationships with others. As opposed to being a popular kid by knowing more people, deepening our connections creates a greater personal brand value and shows that we truly care.
There’s a familiar notion that we must not heed what others think of us but rather focus on what we think of ourselves. While this is true to some extent, we must be cognizant of how connected and social our lives are. Our social media presence and how we curate what we put out there goes a long way in influencing others’ perceptions of us.
To conclude, I want to leave you with a quote by Socrates…
“The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavour to be what you desire to appear”.