The great John Wooden once said: “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are…the true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
Finding the person who I am today and Loving the person who I am today all happened when I got tired of dying my hair. Mostly a loner my whole life I loved the quirky me, I was okay with me. I began not liking the me I was becoming behind the hair dye… I wanted to keep investing in my soul search, in enjoying nature, but instead I was chasing the illusion (that was like a 3 year period) ugh.
Maybe it’s just me but I think social media has created filters for us all. To the point that many people forget working on who they are and get lost in “who they are projecting to be”.
I just think that more than ever we as humans are looking for AUTHENTICITY… yet one of the many things I find interesting is we humans for the most part have what I call ‘the animal instinct’ – some call it intuition, YOU KNOW, that little alarm that sorta tells you something is off.
The TRUTH is… no matter how hard we try, if we are not coming from a place of absolute truth and sincerity, then all the “show” has no leg to stand on… and people can pick up on when someone is not being “authentic” or when someone is being “deceitful”. On a personal level (since we all live inside our bodies – and what we say to ourselves inside our heads goes through no filter) we end up hurting ourselves even more.
Our true character is revealed EVERY DAY in the details, in the seemingly trivial things. And it’s what we say and what we do when we act from our core self that really matters.
So the question to ponder is: “Who are you when no one is looking? Who are you at your core?”
Asking such simple question allows us to bring awareness to how we present ourselves to the world… and we may discover that we “show” different sides depending each unique situation – the TRUTH is revealed in our core self.
There is part II to the question… because we all have room for improvement: “How can I be better…”:
…IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP? WITH YOUR HEALTH? IN YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE? IN YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH? WITH YOUR WORDS? ETC
When you are faced with challenges … do you loose your composure?
In all areas of life… you ALWAYS have an opportunity to leave your mark, by those mundane and trivial interactions and duties. The real value you bring is not measured by your public display, but more so by what you do when no one is watching.
Let’s go back to the original question and contemplate those words from this new perspective (in first person to yourself):
What do I do and who am I… when no one’s looking?
Step back and think about what you bring to your place of work, your relationships, your body, your mind, your spirit, your community. Assess how you add value, and ask yourself if this is something you can truly be proud of. Do this for you, because at the end of the day you are only hurting yourself when you do not do everything you can to reach your full potential.
As you work on your character and seek to reach your full potential…. You add value to your life and to those around you.
