My least favorite modern quote dejour is “Perception is reality.” When I hear someone say this, I cringe and want to call out the person that said it as a fraud. A few years ago, I was on a committee for a local initiative and the lead person told us to focus on perception rather than the core of the initiative. This didn’t sit well with me, so I quietly recused myself from the group. I wasn’t comfortable with the fact that the committee was putting on a front to the community. The initiative was passed and then failed and created larger problems for our town. The leaders of the committee faded away and took no accountability for the final results. I still have a tough time when I see the two people that chose perception over reality for a quick fix success.
When you focus on perception, you are putting the cart before the horse. We need to concentrate on who we are at the core and how we are perceived will take care of itself. When we live with character we don’t have to worry about what others think of us at the moment. Character will always reveal itself in time.
Never worry about perception. Focus on your character. Perception is what others think in the moment and it is the ficklest of creatures. It is based on the opinions of others and has no depth or substance. Character is who we really are! It has substance because it is based on our actions which reveal who we are and what we believe. Character endures.
When we care about our character, perception will take care of itself. We are creating a legacy that we can hang our hat on and take pride in.. When we worry about how we are perceived, We dance a fine line and will at some point compromise our character.
The true value of a person’s life is how true they stay to the set of standards that they believe in. We can only do this with character.
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