I've become - or have always been? - one of those people who have certain phrases that I say repeatedly, all based on certain views or beliefs. One of them is, "Reputation is everything".
As life unfolds and I evolve into an older version of myself, with the hindsight of a life rich in experience, I find myself reflecting on these sayings and finding nuances that I hadn't before.
I still believe that your reputation is something that you should think about, while you're living your life, because it has a way of becoming relevant when you least expect it. My new take on reputation is this: if I look back on how I've lived my life, the choices I've made, even the mistakes I've made, what's more important to me now is not so much what others think about me, but what I think about myself. Does my track record make me hold my head up high or hang my head in shame?
I'm not for one moment implying that I haven't done really stupid things and made really ill-considered decisions. On the contrary. But there definitely was a time when I started making better choices, listening to my inner voice and feeling brave enough to follow a path that wasn't dependent on the approval of my entire community.
Sometimes we take a detour that feels right at the time, but further into the journey a new course needs to be considered. If it's not right for you, or you feel like there's been so much change that it's not enjoyable anymore, it's time to find a new path.
I suppose what I'm trying to say - not very succinctly - is that MY opinion of who I am matters more to me now. "Reputation is everything" now means "How I regard myself is everything". How does that factor into everyday life? It's important for me to evaluate how I'm living my life, every now and then, and to make fresh decisions that align my lived reality with my theory of who I am.
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