How would you describe yourself? Think of all the characteristics you believe you possess. Now, how would others describe you? Would they list the same characteristics?
We often see ourselves completely differently from how others view us. That is why it is imperative that we observe our own behavior—constantly. Opportunities to do this crop up all day. Perhaps you’re driving your car and someone cuts you off. You may honk your horn and yell, “Watch it, you jerk!” The next day, when you unintentionally cut someone else off and they honk their horn and yell at you, your response might be, “What’s your problem?” We do stuff like this all the time. We notice what other people do to us, but rarely notice that we do the same to others. The only way we will notice is to start to observe our own behavior.
All the great mystics have taught us about spiritual truths and implored us to remember them—not to remember the human being who told us about these truths, like Lao Tse, Jesus or Siddhartha, but to remember their teachings that expressed who they really were inside. We want to focus on their behavior because they lived their lives in accordance with their teachings; that is to say, they lived their truths. When you remember them, you understand their behavior reflected their teachings. The question to ask yourself is, “How will I be remembered?” To answer that question, you need to learn to observe your own behavior, to see how others perceive you. Once you start the process, you become the witness to everything you say and do. Now you begin to get a glimpse of how you will be remembered.