VN March 2023

Vetnuus | Maart 2023 34 I hope this article finds you and your families well and safe!!! Last month we discussed the impact of fear and its impact on our respective lives. This month we will be touching on reputation and credibility as part of our personal development. Who we are and what we do speaks louder than any words! A small boy walked into an ice cream shop and sat down at a table. He had earned some money and wanted to reward himself. He checked his wallet and saw he had fifty rands. As soon as he could catch the attention of one of the waitresses, he asked how much a vanilla Sundae with chocolate sauce would cost. The waitress said, “Fifty rands”. The boy seemed unhappy and started to frown. After pausing for a little while, he asked, “How much for the vanilla sundae without the chocolate sauce ?”The waitress responded abruptly,“Forty-five rands”, trying to hurry the boy into placing an order. The boy contemplated a little longer and said, “I will have the vanilla sundae plain, please”. A fewminutes later, the waitress returned with the ordered ice cream, no chocolate sauce, and a cash slip for the order. The waitress moved on and attended to other customers while the boy ate his ice cream. Upon finishing, the boy took his cash slip to the cash register and paid the forty-five rands for his ice cream. When the waitress got an opportunity to go back, she returned to the table where the boy sat to gather the used ice cream bowl and found five rands left as a tip. She immediately realised that the boy could have afforded the chocolate sauce … but not if he wanted to leave a tip for her. The boy knew he couldn’t use all the money for himself and made a small sacrifice out of consideration for the waitress. The boy had started making a “good reputation” for himself that would serve him throughout his life. What an amazing leadership lesson for all of us!! We all have an inner voice and a sense of what is the “better choice” is in most situations. The trouble many of us have is that we have learned a whole range of rationalisations and justifications for not following that inner voice. We listen to: - I deserve this - Nobody will notice - I don’t know this person - It won’t make a difference - I don’t want to follow the rules - I had a bad day - They are taking advantage of me Our behaviour gives rise to our reputation; ultimately, our reputation is a product of who we are and how we behave, even when nobody is watching. Reputation comes from what other people observe you doing when you don’t know they are watching you. It comes fromwhat others see you do as an unconscious, instinctive display of your inner values and beliefs. We all know people who“talk the talk” but don’t “walk the walk” . They have no authenticity. They harm their reputation, not necessarily by doing the wrong things, but simply by failing to do the right things. Influential Life Coaching THE ICE CREAM Dr Mats Abatzidis B.Sc. B.V.Sc. New Insights Certified VIP Life Coach mats.abatzidis@yahoo.co.za Founder of Influential Life Coaching http://www.matsaba.wix.com/drmatscoach Author of the published book“Life outside your comfort zone. Better and beyond all expectations”. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref =nb_sb_noss?url=search- alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Abatzidis http://www.life-coach-directory.co.za/mats-abatzidis Vet's Health I Life Coaching