untitled

I have a friend who asked me to inform a resident committee we both belong to that she is a qualified lawyer. I don't know the reason why she couldn't do so herself. One reason could be that she didn't want to be perceived as being boastful. But she was honestly a senior lawyer. I cannot see why it is boastful to honestly state who you are. Another reason may be that it being told by someone else gives the title an extra glamour. Again, this is purely speculative because I don't think she cares so much about vanity even though she takes pride in her achievement.

When it was time that I felt like writing something to the committee, I made what I believed to be a subtle effort to fullfil her request. It was one line of an introduction on her embedded in four lines of introduction on others. The idea was to help us know each other's skill and work, and encourage open and direct communication.

The next thing I knew. She felt embarrassed. She said that she only wanted me to say it but not in black and write. Obviously, I had to apologize to her for her feelings.

People view the weight and importance of personal matters with a magnifying glass. They want to take total control of them, and even how they are perceived by others. Regrettably, the latter is not something that's within our sphere of control. Hence, there may be a need for great design in presenting their personal matters to the public. But be careful, as this lesson tells me as much as my friend. If you deliberately solicit other people's help in creating public perception, external help is something beyond your control. Assistance may not be given in a way that you are confortable with or have the effect that you desire. In that case, caveat emptor applies.