How's Your Image?

I’ll be borrowing a couple of terms from Public Relations for this post. One of the amazing benefits of reading as much as I do is that I know a little bit of everything. I get to form my own opinion about these information and sometimes I use them to illustrate when I teach (like I’m doing now). Plus, I’ve always liked being a smart ass.

Let me go ahead and list the terms and their original meanings:

1. Corporate Image: The overall image or impression of an organization.

2. Current (present) Image: This kind of image is determined by corporate intelligence. Impression held by the public based on knowledge & experience.

3. Wish Image: The desired image an organization wants to have.

4. Multiple Images: An organization might be associated with these type of image due to the varied attitudes & behaviors of individuals at work in the establishment. This can be negative or positive.

5. Mirror (self) Image: How the organization thinks the public sees them or how an organization sees itself.

You must agree with me that the image a company portrays to the public can make or mar that company. I once read somewhere that PR is putting lipstick on a pig and calling it pretty. I guess that’s a crude way of explaining it but it’s kind of true. With the right image, you can make anything look desirable. I like to believe our image is just (or should be) as important.

I’m going to try and relate these terms to building our own personal images. I’ll be using myself as an example. I like to explain using practical examples. It makes it easier for people to understand. Well then, let’s get right to it.

1. Corporate Image: This is the image you have built over time. I can’t remember when exactly, but a while ago, I asked a couple of my friends to tell me objectively what they thought about me or their perception of who I am. Of course I took everything they said with a grain of salt. Still, I retained some information that tallied or got the highest votes. Sometimes, you don’t work on your corporate images. It’s just you being who you are naturally. I got comments like; loves kids, encourager, good listener, generous, intelligent...I didn’t have to work on any of these attributes. It’s just who I am. I don’t have to try to express them. Comes naturally.

2. Current Image: This is who you are today. A lot of us are works in progress. This image is formed as a result of the things we know and the experiences we’ve had. We can be jaded & cynical or easy-going & carefree. Some are optimists and others pessimists. Your past has some level of influence on your current image but you still get to decide how much of a hold you want your past to have on you. Even if you had an amazing past, there is still room for improvement. There is a phrase we say often in my church, “no better yesterdays”. I’ve always been of the opinion that the level of knowledge I have attained and the things I have gone through should help me make better choices in future and not hold me back from being all I can be or from living my best life.

There are still some people that knew me in the past and these people don’t see my current image, they see my past. I don’t blame them, I don’t hold it against them either but I don’t have to let them remain in my close circle though. They’ll only taint my current image and give me an image crisis. I’m not all that I can be yet, I’m not even the best version of myself yet but I’m putting in the work and I’d prefer people who support my growth, lift me up when I fall and clap when I win.

You can have a bad current image. If that is the case, you have your work cut out for you. You can always be a better version of yourself if you desire it. It probably won’t be easy but it’s not impossible. I don’t believe in closed cases because I serve a God of possibilities. God still requires that you do the work (the hard work). So, start working on re-branding your current image if necessary.

To be continued…

After part 2 of this post, I’ll publish Let’s Talk Soul Ties! – 2

Adupeola