The Real Con: who are you?

As long as I can remember, my professional life has felt like an adventure. 

I love exploring. I have always loved being outdoors. 

I love change. I love trying new things. I love hearing that something can’t be done. 

Bruce Lee started practicing martial arts when he was 13. He moved to the United States at 18. 

He died unexpectedly at a young age of 32. Yet his reputation lives on. In just under 15 years, he established himself as an incredible thinker, an incredible fighter, and an incredible man. 

“This is the entire essence of life: Who are you? What are you?” - Leo Tolstoy

Reputation is more than how you see yourself. It is how the world sees you. It is an eclectic compilation of your thoughts, your words, and your actions

Reputation is more than how the world sees us. It is how the world will remember us when we are gone.

“Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win; once it slips, however, you are vulnerable, and will be attacked on all sides. Never let others define it for you." - Robert Greene

Everyday is a chance to rewrite our reputation. We choose our life by our actions. Too often we fail to think on the idea of who we are or what we stand for. You may be lost. You may be in a constant state of searching. We must be true to ourselves. We must find a way to stay grounded in reality.

“We are not satisfied with our real life. We want to live an imaginary life, a life in which we seem different in the eyes of other people than we are in reality.” - Blaise Pascal

 Your reputation is priceless. It should always be your top priority. 

"... to reemphasize Berkshire’s top priority... that all of us continue to zealously guard Berkshire’s reputation. We can’t be perfect but we can try to be... We can afford to lose money – even a lot of money. But we can’t afford to lose reputation – even a shred of reputation. We must continue to measure every act against not only what is legal but also what we would be happy to have written about on the front page of a national newspaper..." - Warren Buffett

Doing the right thing is always the right thing. Humans are social animals. We are wired to seek the approval of the group. Thousands of years ago, it was hard to survive if your life was outside the village. Now in our modern society, it can be hard to stand apart from the group. 

The easiest way to stand out is to stand for something. You must do what is right, not what is convenient.

"... your associates will say 'Everybody else is doing it.' This rationale is almost always a bad one if it is the main justification for a business action. It is totally unacceptable when evaluating a moral decision." - Warren Buffett

Too often we see headlines of some business person or politician crossing a line. What would you do in their situation? How would you act? Each person and each circumstance is different. 

Reputation is more than what others think of you. It is what you think of yourself. It is how you conduct yourself. It is and should be your top priority. It will forever be a process that is ever-going and never-ending.

“I have come to accept life as a process, and am satisfied that in my ever-going process, I am constantly discovering, expanding, finding the cause of my ignorance, in martial arts and especially in life. In short, to be real…” - Bruce Lee

In Book One of his meditations, Marcus Aurelius describes the Debts and Lessons that he learned from others in his life and those who came before him. He talks about character, self-control, integrity, manliness.

He lists some of the people - his grandfather, his father, his mother, his great grandfather, his first teacher. 

From Rusticus, he writes:

“The recognition that I needed to train and discipline my character.” - Marcus Aurelius.

Even the men and women of ancient Greece understood the importance of finding your identity.

“Become who you are by learning who you are.” - Pindar, Greek poet (400 BC)

Be real. Discover who you are. Discover what you are. Discover what you stand for.

In Book Two, Marcus again reflects on the consequences of his actions.

“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” - Marcus Aurelius

We forget the power of our words and our actions. We forget the consequences of what we say and do. 

We would do well to learn from Marcus and others.

“If it doesn’t harm your character, how can it harm your life?” - Marcus Aurelius

Imagine a world where you focus on your character, on who you are becoming. Imagine a world where you focus on justice, honesty, self-control, courage. Imagine a world where you are constantly learning.

Stay sharp,

Michael

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The Real Con

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