What Are People Saying About You?

IHEAR some people say, “I don’t care what people say about me”. But I tell such people, “You must care what people say about you”. What most people are saying about you goes a long way to show you how people see you.

You know who you are through what people keep saying about you. It is like standing in front of a mirror and you say, “mirror, I don’t care what image you project of me.” What you see in the mirror is a perfect description of you. If for example, the mirror shows you that your hair is looking rough and dirty, you cannot say that you do not care about what the mirror has shown you. All you need do is to adjust your hair to look good.

Even our Lord Jesus wanted to know the perception people had of Him. He had to ask His disciples one day: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man am?” ( Matthew 16: 13). Like Jesus, it is wise to find out what people say about you.

I am not saying you should listen to people who hate you for no reason or people who are just jealous of you. I am also not saying you should listen to negative people and low level thinkers, neither am I saying you should listen to people who are envious of you.

The people I am saying you should listen to are those who candidly and sincerely tell you who you truly are, out of the love they have for you. They want to make you better. You should not be bitter with people who want to make you better. When people keep saying you are proud, listen to them and begin to learn about humility. If people keep saying you are snobbish, don’t snub that comment. When people keep saying you have an unpleasant smell around you, don’t disregard it. When people say you are not caring, listen. When people keep saying that you are selfish, examine yourself.

When people say you disregard others, listen. What people say about you is like you looking into a mirror and seeing yourself.

If you are told that you do not have a good dress sense, listen. If you are told that you are not efficient enough, listen. If you are told that you shout too much, listen. If you are told that you get angry needlessly and uncontrollably, listen. If you are told that you are too domineering, listen. If your spouse tells you that you are not smelling nice, listen. See all those comments as aimed at making you better.

Examine yourself. And consciously and intentionally amend your ways. Find out how to correct that part of you. Find out how you can become a better cook, if your cooking is being criticised. Find out how you can smell good for your spouse, if he/ she does not like the odour from your body or clothes. Find out how you can dress better, if your spouse complains about your dress sense.

While we should not live our lives based on people’s opinions, we should not be careless to the extent of not caring about who people say we are. Listen. Personally, I have made adjustments in my life that came about due to what someone who hated me in the past said about me. The person said that to destroy me out of hatred, but I was not foolish enough to totally ignore what the person said. I picked what I needed to pick to improve my life. Let us stop always defending ourselves, when people tell us who they think we are. Love you.