A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.
—Proverbs 22:1

Check Yourself

• Do you walk in excellence? What do you do?
• How would you score yourself on a scale from one to ten, with one being in great shape, in the following areas?     
     spiritually     
     emotionally     
     physically      
     financially     
     relationally
• Which area could use improvement?
• What are your strengths in this area? Weaknesses?
• What three steps can you take toward improving in this area?

What do people say about you? If you overheard them talking about you, would you want to know and befriend that person? You can’t please all of the people all of the time, so how do you find the balance for living a life that curries favor with those you encounter versus sacrificing who you really are in order to be a people pleaser? The secret is in first living to please God. The fruit of this selective living will be favor with those around you. Pursuing peace and walking in love are huge. And there’s no room for pride or being defensive. The catch-22 about pride is it eventually always makes you look like a fool. While you are busy posturing and promoting a specific image of yourself, people are seeing through the facade and forming negative conclusions about your character.

Replace defensive living with offensive and positive positioning. Seek to give what you want to receive no matter what. Don’t take things personally. Most of the time whatever is going on around you and the reactions you encounter have very little to do with you. The response has to do with the accumulation of many experiences that particular person had before he or she even got to you. With this in mind, seek to bless that person instead of struggling to regain your own footing. Mastering this one thing will give you tremendous victory in the area of relationships. As you make pleasing God your goal, which includes His command to love your neighbor as you love yourself, the fruit of this decision becomes obvious: a legacy of good will. But most of all you will garner the pleasure of your heavenly Father, who just happens to be a King. And when the King smiles, there is favor.

Check Yourself

• What do people say about your character?
• What would you like them to say about you?
• What habits or attitudes do you need to change to get a more desirable review from others?
• If you met yourself at a function, would you want to be your friend? Why or why not?

The goal we’ve all been wired in our spirits to achieve is to live a value-added life. We were created to be priceless, to grow and make lasting contributions to the world and to the people around us. We should be a valuable commodity to those who experience life within our personal, social, and professional circles. The things we say and do add or subtract from our lives as well as the lives of others on a daily basis. I believe this is why the Bible tells us to begin with our thought life—to purpose to think on things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy (see Philippians 4:8). If this is what we are predisposed to mentally, our thoughts will manifest for all to see. What proceeds from our mouths as well as our deeds will line up with God’s design for us.