I often have bad days.
And if you are human like me, you do too. And when I am having a bad day or I am in a bad mood, that is often when the filter in my brain is lacking. I like to think of my filter as a water dam. When the dam is fully constructed, or my filter is in full effect, I get to keep all of the thoughts, especially the mean ones, in my head. When the dam is weakened, those thoughts seem to flood my mind and spill out of my mouth.
That ever happen to you?
I try not to live in that place often, but sometimes it happens. And I usually regret whatever I said or did. When it does happen, it reveals my character.
Character Is
You have heard the saying that character is who you are when no one is looking. Do you know who said it? I didn’t until I wrote this. It was John Wooden. His exact quote is “The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.”
Character is the mental and moral qualities a person possesses.
When the boss is away, do you have the same work ethic when they are at work?
Do you use the same type of language all of the time?
When your spouse is not with you, do you behave in a way that is honoring to them?
When you realize you have been undercharged for an item, do you go back inside the store?
When the camera is not on you, do you speak to others with kindness?
When in the Public Eye
This week, Britt McHenry fell victim to her own character, and unfortunately has made herself an example. You can watch the video here. Warning, she uses some colorful language. At one point in the video, she is even told that she is being recorded. I am not sure if the video was spliced or if it is all in the order of how the conversation truly went. What it looks like though is she was told she was being recorded, yet continued to berate the employee.
Who she IS was shown in that video.
When she thought no one was watching, her true colors were shown.
Character Goes Digital
I am reading Jon Acuff’s new book Do Over. If you don’t have it yet, I recommend going to Amazon immediately and purchasing it. You can click on the link under “Books I’m Reading” on the right side of this screen and get it. In the section regarding relationships, he reminds us to keep any proverbial matches away from digital bridges. Since it seems everything is digital these days, or can be put on the internet in an instant, it is a helpful reminder that our character will become known to all.
Your character will come through in your twitter feed.
Or your Face Book posts.
Or…you name it.
Who you are will shine through. Are you who you want to be? And if not, what are you going to do about it?
Here’s to the Journey!
