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You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do: Our actions and results speak for themselves. Words are cheap, they don’t mean anything unless supported by results. Some people can be charming and create fascinating stories. But this fades away with time. The only thing that stays with us is the outcome we create and the quality of work we do. This is the central meaning in Henry Ford’s quote –

You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do

I have a funny feeling about reputation. Sometimes it feels like a marketing stunt and a PR. There’s something strange about wanting everyone to know how good or valuable you are. Isn’t this a flimsy world where our value is determined by the external validation. Sure, it feels nice when people appreciate our work. But the satisfaction in work comes in the effort that we’ve put in. The results are an outcome. We enjoy the results and call them fruits of labour.

Where does this idea of reputation come into play? This quote from Henry Ford – you can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do makes us think about social recognition. We should question what this means for us and whether we need it at all in the first place.

What you are going to do

This is a vision right – something in the future where we are predicting what we are going to do. But life is unpredictable – lots of things change. What matters the most is how well we do the things that we set out to. Talk is cheap – it is only our actions that create results. Our focus instead should be on doing the things rather than just talking about them.

People will easily label you as empty words the moment they realise there’s no depth to your statements. Focus on how you will achieve your desires rather than marketing it to the world. This helps us save time and energy. And there’s a greater and well meaning joy in doing things than just people recognising you for the wrong thing. It creates the image of a fraud and good for nothing fellow. You don’t want to be associated as that.

You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do

-Henry Ford