I have a reputation for not being punctual, and it’s a reputation I certainly deserve. But it is interesting how such a reputation forms and persists over time.
For instance, our station has always had a mandatory 10AM meeting on Tuesdays. Since everyone else is already in the office at that time, being there is easy for them. But because my day normally starts at noon, I never found it so convenient. This, combined with my natural tendency to tardiness, means that I have been five minutes late to that meeting often enough to be known for it.
What’s fascinating is how people react to me now. When I’m late, they often make a joke about it, which is fair. But even when I am on time (or early), people still usually make some sort of joke about it, which functionally reinforces their belief of me as unpunctual, despite actually having been on time that day. Thus, even disconfirming evidence is internalized as reinforcing the prejudice.
Certainly, I am fully to blame for having this reputation in the first place. But it is interesting how little incentive there is for me to fix this problem when the possibility of ever being acknowledged as having done so seems so remote.
2 comments:
I am proud of you for being on-time to your meeting Andrew, good for you. It is true, once you get a reputation for being a certain way in our society, it is hard to overcome it.
i too struggle with this - though i've gotten better (at least i think so) - mostly because my wife has stressed the importance of it. and that's where i think the "fix" comes - when you place importance on it - and NOT when you think people will change their opinion of you. besides, living for reputation in the world isn't true Christian motivation. i'll make more of an effort for the next 20 days and see if i feel good because it's the right thing to do. - Steve in Gilbert
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