Your Identity, Part 2: Your Reputation

Your reputation is central to your identity. It’s the combination of two things:

1.    The story of your outstanding deeds

2.    Opinions formed about your outstanding deeds

First, your reputation is what others repeat about you. Others talk about you. They tell stories of your outstanding deeds. 

Some stories they tell about you, they witnessed. Others they heard others tell about you. Either way, they do not repeat your entire life-story. They can’t. They only tell the stories that made an impression on them.

They made an impression because they were interesting to them. The deeds a person picks to tell others say as much about the person who picks them as you.

More important than what others say about you is what you actually do and tell others about yourself. You are the author of your reputation. No one knows better than you what you did that was outstanding.

You were there. You did the deeds. You live with the consequences of your deeds.

Secondly, there are opinions of your outstanding deeds. Whether others are witnesses of or gossipers about your outstanding deeds, they form opinions about them. They judge them in either favorable or unfavorable ways. 

Their opinions of your outstanding deeds are their opinions of you. They are your public reputation.

More important than other’s opinions of your deeds, is your opinion.

Always interpret your outstanding deeds in the most favorable light. Be truthful and honest; that is, tell the truth about what you did in a way that honors you.

Give yourself an honorable reputation. Share it with others so they have favorable stories about you to tell.