Happy Sunday boys and girls.....Today, Goms wants to speak about a persons' reputation and/or character. Gommy recently received one of those email blasts that tell you a joke of the day or a quote or some advertisement.....and the one blast that struck Gommy this morning was one that Goms hadn't thought much about before. Both words were kind of interchangeable to Goms previously, but after thinking on it a bit more, it became evident that they can be totally opposite of each other in meaning. The two terms were; reputation and character. Reputation is what other people think of you ( and it can be good or bad) and character is what you think about yourself and how you conduct your life. Gommy thinks character is much more important than reputation. Like Goms has said before; 'what other people think of you is none of your business'.
Our reputation usually precedes us by what we have accomplished or sometimes, what we have done that isn't always something we can be proud of. Most of us do strive for a good reputation. But you can also acquire a 'bad' reputation by doing things that you or your family wish you hadn't. It is hard to live down a bad reputation. Goms thinks this may be that sadly, people sometimes prefer to believe the bad about us rather than the good for some stinky reason.
A persons' good character, on the other hand, cannot be bought or made up by lying about our good intentions or deeds.....it can only be earned by the way we conduct ourselves. Having a good character requires that we look into our 'proverbial' mirror and be pain-stakingly honest with ourselves about how we roll....(how's that for some up-to-date lingo for Goms? LOL) Character is partly taught to us by our parents and partly developed as we learn how things, circumstances and people should be treated. A person of good character would not take advantage of anyone, would not lie, would not cheat, would not....you get the picture....But a person of good character would.......be considerate of others, be honest with your spouse, friends, co-workers and bosses, show gratitude for a favor done and for all the blessings we have. A person with 'good character' actually cares about their 'reputation' and would not purposely tarnish it by doing anything that would reflect on their character in a harmful way. My mom had a way of saying things that could be harsh, but she was always honest to a fault.....she used to say about someone that wasn't of very good character....."They aren't worth the powder to blow them to hell!" Now, that may be pretty brutal but that is how mom expressed herself....
Sometimes it is hard to do the right thing. People have a tendency to lie to themselves and others when it comes to giving themselves a break or a free pass.....(meaning, it is easier to lie than to admit to wrong doing). It is much harder to do the right thing at times and that is what good character is all about. You can always tell the mettle of a person by how they handle adversity. It is easy to be 'all that and a bag of chips' when things are going rosey...but if you can handle yourself and others with respect when things are 'circling the drain'......that is the mettle (in the position of being incited to do one's best) of 'good character'. Many people are of the mindset that if they are going down, they are bringing everyone with them.....how sad. Just admit when you do wrong and man-up or woman-up to the wrong doing and Goms guarantees you will feel much better about yourself the next time you have to look in that mirror...
Gommy had the honor of helping Grandpa Mike and NFL great Jim Kiick at a charity golf benefit for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital yesterday. Grandpa and Jim Kiick are two people with great reputations but more importantly, great character. They both give tirelessly of themselves to help people and in this case, sick children. Jim Kiick gave a speech yesterday that demonstrated his 'good character'. He said that just as in the game of football, life is a team effort. He said that all the accolades he receives are wonderful but he could not have accomplished all he did in his football career without the rest of the team. (sic) And aren't we are all on the 'team of life' and shouldn't we all be pulling for each other instead at each other?
So, here's to everyones' good reputations and good characters......We are all a work in progress and if we continue to strive to take the high road....we'll get a lot less dirt on us and our reputations in the process...Good luck boys and girls everywhere and just continue to try to do the RIGHT thing.....Hugs and Mush, Gommy
