Category: motivation

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motivation

Character and Reputation

Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.

Thomas Paine was born 285 years ago today on January 29, 1737. He was a revolutionary and author of the pamphlet, Common Sense among others. He knew a few things about character and reputation. As I was reading some of his quotes, this one stood out to me.

“Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.”
Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/thomas_paine_117868, accessed January 29, 2022.

Reputation

Our reputations are valuable currency. They are the result of many decisions and actions we have made throughout our lives. We can earn part of it while other parts are the opinions of friends and enemies.

We can have a great reputation with those within our tribe and a notorious reputation with those who oppose our views. Influence comes from our words and actions. If both are in agreement, our reputation can give us authority and good stature. It may even give us fame and prominence.

When making any to hire someone, we value a good reputation. After all, when we search for a babysitter, we want someone who is dependable, good-natured, and great with our children. We value a babysitter’s trustworthiness.

However, our standing can fall due to the gossip and opinion of others. The tribe we associate with may change their views. One generation holds one view while the other has a different value.

We have both an individual reputation and one that others ascribe to our group. And yes, our group can change. While we were once part of the younger generation, we age. Elders once thought we were radical, but the younger generation may think we are fuddy-duddy. It happens fast!

While we can control part of our reputation, other parts are out of our control. In the end, it is simply what others think of us.

Character

Therefore, Thomas Paine’s quote reminds me how important character is. It is who we are behind closed doors. It is the choices we make when no one is watching.

  • Do we do the right thing every time, or only when we have an audience?
  • Are the words we speak in line with what we ourselves are doing?
  • Are we more concerned with our prominence than living who we really are?

Unfortunately, someone can have a great reputation, but lousy character… at least for a time. But I have seen so many people held in high-esteem fall because their true character was revealed. No one can keep up a charade forever. If our reputation is great, but our character is lousy, it will be revealed sooner or later.

My prayer is that all of us may have a good reputation and character. While the first may not always be in our control, the second is definitely up to us.

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motivation

Carbon Copy

Carbon Copy

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by my dad’s office. I would see his typewriter and imagine pounding away at it and creating fun stories. But what really fascinated me was his carbon sheets. With it, I could draw or write something and the sheets would make a carbon copy of what was underneath.

The sheets were very useful in an age where there were no copiers or printers in a home office. Why this seven-year-old was fascinated with them, I’ll never know. After all, I could make a copy, but could I make something original with the sheets? After all, I never saw a carbon copy hung on a refrigerator door.

It took extra effort to make a copy. But even so, it was still a copy. And it wasn’t nearly as crisp or clear as the original. It took some effort to make a copy. It took even more effort to make an original from the sheets.

This quote reminds me when we try to copy others, it doesn’t feel quite as efficient as being the real thing.

“Do not be awe-struck by other people and try to copy them. Nobody can be you as efficiently as you can.”

Norman Vincent Peale (1898 – 1993)

Learning Instead of Duplicating

We can certainly learn from others. After all, I still love to read and pick up tips and tricks from others. In one of Dan Roam’s books, he talks about how Dr. Seuss influenced him as a child. I learned from Dr. Seuss, as well as Charles Schulz, and scores of other writers and illustrators. It’s great to get inspired and learn from others.

We can learn from others without trying to be carbon copies. We will know we are going too far in emulating our heroes and mentors when it feels awkward. Not every trick, habit, or quirk a hero has is worth emulating. Just because Steve Jobs wore black turtle neck sweaters doesn’t mean every software developer has to follow suit.

Learn from others, yet be your own person. The world doesn’t need more carbon copies of a celebrity, mentor, or rock-star software developer. We need the latest version of you!

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motivation

Have Patience

Today, we will almost certainly need to maintain our composure. If we are parents of young kids, we’ll need it. Waiting for that business deal, or dealing with the workflow will require us to be patient. And someone who is inconsiderate, insincere, or just rude will require a little more from us. We all need a heaping dose of patience.

cartoon of a guy tapping his fingers impatiently on a table

One of those areas will affect some of us more than others. Yet, there is someone all of us will need great tolerance for. That person is ourselves. This quote reminds us we need to give ourselves a break.

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the task anew.”

Saint Francis de Sales (1567 – 1622)

Of all the people we need patience with, ourselves can be the hardest. We know our thoughts and actions. We can be hard on ourselves way too much. If we have high standards, we will most likely fall short.

Patience Keeps us Moving

However, we all need to give ourselves a break. Because if we aren’t patient with ourselves, we are going to get stuck. Our frustration with our own imperfections will keep us from moving forward.

Instead of mulling over why we did this or that, consider what it would look like to improve. That will keep us moving in the right direction instead of wasting all of our time berating ourselves for our imperfections.

Giving Ourselves a Break Let’s Us Helps Us Help Others

When we give ourselves grace, we are in a much better place to help others. It opens us up to empathy because we can acknowledge we aren’t perfect. High standards are good until it makes us intolerant of human behavior. What is the point of perfection if it alienates us from others?

When we acknowledge we still have much to learn, it helps us to have the patience and empathy to teach others.

Today, let’s give ourselves a little grace, learn from our imperfections and mistakes, and move forward. It can even help us teach others how to overcome some of the obstacles we have faced.

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motivation

Entertaining Thoughts

Entertaining Thoughts

We have scores of entertaining thoughts each day. But do we consider which one we should and should not entertain?

We all have random thoughts. Some of them are good and they motivate us to do better. Others can knock the wind out of our sails and make us wonder what is the point? This quote made me consider the implications of our thoughts today.

“What do you hang on the walls of your mind?”

Eve Arnold

Eve Arnold Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/eve_arnold_489359, accessed January 26, 2022.

What thoughts do we keep and allow to affect our day? Most of us don’t consider that not all of our thoughts are useful. One minute, we could be telling ourselves that today will be a great day. The next, a random news story or negative coworker can steer us into dark territory.

Not all our thoughts are good ones. Our self-talk can build us up or tear us down. We have to watch those words and thoughts! I had a few tips in a previous blog. In it, I mentioned a Bible verse that has helped me so many times. Psalm 19:14 reminds me that our words and thoughts matter greatly.

Sketch based on Psalm 19:14-May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable and pleasing unto you.

Refrigerator Doors

What entertaining thoughts do we let hang on the walls of our minds? The quote reminds me of a refrigerator door. On it, we hang artwork our children have created, photos of loved ones, and various notes.

It is a place where we have mementos we like to be reminded about. The sundry scraps of paper give us a smile and remind us of good old days and loved ones that have grown.

Our mind is like a refrigerator door. What entertaining thoughts are we hanging there as a reminder? May it be something that inspires us to lift our heads a little higher, causes us to smile, and put a little extra effort into today.

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motivation

Making Mistakes

Most of us fear making mistakes. We don’t want to be revealed as one who doesn’t have it all figured out. Isn’t it much better for the world to see our perfect selves doing things perfectly in a shiny package? That’s what social media is all about, right?

However, none of us have it all together. What is it about ourselves that fears we’ll be found out as flawed, yet thinks everyone else is perfect? All of us are afraid of making a mistake, especially in public.

This fear keeps us from doing anything worthwhile. It keeps us in line and ensures we won’t do much of value. We forget that the successful fail.

Should we be intentionally making mistakes? No, instead we can learn to overcome the fear that paralyzes us. For example, Harvard Business Review has a good article on how to manage this fear. One great tip is using “emotional agility skills.” We can acknowledge our fear and state them out loud, acknowledge what is true, then use our values to think of some possible actions to take.

Striving for perfection can paralyze us. All of us make mistakes at one time or another and it is okay. It is better to move forward and make mistakes along the way than to strive for a perfect, unattainable standard.