You Can't Choose What People Remember About You

You are around you so constantly that you can’t tell how others perceive you.

They don’t necessarily see your quiet thoughts or appreciate your failed intentions. They may not see the you that you think you are.

It’s fascinating to me to find out what others focus on when they think of me. In equal shares, it can also be disappointing.

Perhaps we can leave a lousy impression. It’s not always in your control, but you do have some say.

And today and tomorrow and every now you have is the time to do it. Because if you aren’t deliberate about being you, you may become something else. And there’ll come a time when you can’t choose what people remember about you.

“Do you complain more than you colour?”

So who is the real you? And does that come out most days?

Do you complain more than you colour? Do you criticise more than you care?

What sentences do you say more than any other? Is that the message you want to share with the world, the words people remember?

What do you say to people to make them know the real you better?

How do you pepper people’s lives?

It’s not about putting out a fake you. It’s about making sure the best you regularly surfaces in your interactions.

And that increases the likelihood that people will perceive you as you would hope. 

I often wonder what people will say about me at my funeral. Perhaps the occasion itself is inconsequential (depending on your beliefs), but thinking of it changes how I live my life.

What do you hope people will say? Fill in the blank:

- “She/he was really….”
- “I always enjoyed the way she/he would….”
- “I admired about them that….”
- “…. is something I really loved about her/him.”
- “He/she could always be counted on for….”
- “I remember how they….”. 

What are your true colours? 

Become who you are.

Let’s talk.