Today's
Meditation:
I
can't help but think back to high school when I read this
quotation, back to the days when almost
everyone--especially the "popular" kids--were so
worried about what other people thought about them that
they never gave a thought to what they were doing to other
people in the name of having a reputation. Most of
them were lost after high school, when they went on to
college or into the job world, when they found that their
"rep" didn't follow them into the real world.
It's
very easy to get caught up in trying to have other people
admire us and think good things about us. It's also
very easy to try to make them think good of us by doing
things that we really shouldn't do, like making jokes
about other people, insulting someone behind his or her
back, or telling some secret that we really shouldn't be
telling just to make someone think better of us.
Truly
showing our character takes some strong decision-
making. First we have to decide that there are
certain things that we won't do--like gossip or steal or
treat others badly. Then, whenever we face a
situation in which we find ourselves tempted to do one of
those things, we have to make another decision to stick to
our decision. As time goes on, these decisions get
easier and easier to make as our character strengthens and
we start to realize that it's much more important to be
known as someone that others can trust in the long run
than it is to be known as someone who will give others
what they want in the short run.
Eventually,
your reputation will be that you are a person of deep
conviction and strong character, and when people realize
that and start treating you that way, you will feel very,
very good about yourself. Always.
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