“A man with no enemies is a man who has no character”
– Paul Newman
While on a phone call with my brother, we were talking about the Characteristics of fight or flight. We talked about two people in general at his office.
The first person flew under the radar. He didn’t make a lot noise and although he knew where he stood on his opinions, he kept them to himself in order to avoid ruffling the feathers of others.
The other person was the complete opposite. He too knew where he stood, but he wasn’t afraid to say it. His popularity wasn’t made by his opinions, because the majority of his coworkers always disagreed.
What’s interesting, is that when everyone wanted to talk about a certain subject, they went to the one that had something to say. They weren’t interested in the one that nodded his head.
A lukewarm character will never make an impact. Your character is what makes you different than everyone else. It’s what you do with yourself, your beliefs, your ideas or your brand. Be clear and bold in who you are, because even the people who disagree with you, will remember you.
(Although I’ve never read Laurel Thatcher’s book, I’ve always enjoyed reading her quote on bumper stickers: “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History” I believe her quote can be applied to people in general)