The discipline of recognition — you might think it's a strange combination of words. Some people don't distinguish between recognition and notoriety. As someone said, "I don't care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right."
This is a rather cheap view of recognition.
Recognition is important. It's one of our motivations. It's one of our satisfactions. When you think about what recognitions you've genuinely appreciated, you understand something about yourself. Do we expect our recognitions to mature as we mature? What was recognition at one time in our life might be very incidental or even embarrassing today. There is a danger in creating an image for ourselves. It is restrictive and in many ways it becomes phony.
The great advertising genius, Albert Lasker, said to beware of any man whom everyone described the same for he is an image, not a reality. The scripture says, "beware of those of whom all men speak well."
I use the word discipline with recognition, because we should define what we consider to be a good stroke. Strokes are important. The apostle Paul used a great many of them, for he was one of the great recognizers of the saints. He was forever complimenting somebody on their hospitality, on their helpfulness, cooperation, their good teaching, and saying, "honor such a man."
In corporate life as well as social life it's very important to know how to get favorable recognition. One of the saddest dinners I have attended was a retirement dinner for a middle executive who had not been discovered early enough in his life to have made it to the top. The president said, "too bad we didn't see his qualifications earlier."
We all know it's part of our own responsibility to be favorably seen but we have to define what we consider to be favorable and what we consider to be acceptable. I faced this same problem when I started speaking for I found that blue material would always get a reaction but it did not get the kind that I needed to build the rest of my talk on.
As an exercise in thinking of the discipline of recognition, what three words do you think people would use to describe you? Would you describe yourself the same way, or would you be happy with the words they use?
For example, I know a young lady who is constantly referred to as "pretty" but told her mother she wished people would say something to her besides, "you're pretty. " She knew there was more to her than just being pretty.
Some people only see others as funny. Herb Shreiner one night after a performance said to me, "I wish I could say something, not just be funny." There was a depth to him that he never got to show.
Gert Behanna was raised in the old Waldorf Astoria, became a hopeless drunk and drug addict. Fortunately with God people are never hopeless so late in life she became a very vibrant Christian. She used to tell how that she would go out with her beautiful mother and the contrast between her mother's beauty and her homeliness was rather striking so it was a challenge to her social circle to say something good about Gert. They would say, "I am sure she's wholesome. " Years later, Gert would regale anyone with her disdain for the word "wholesome."
I have known men that as long as you called them moneymakers they didn't care anything else about what you called them. You could say, "He's a dirty s.o.b. but he's a moneymaker," and he would smile. So many want to be called successful and they're not willing to discipline the success, just so long as it is success.
I have known people who liked to be called religious but very few who wanted to be called Christian. Religious doesn't get you into problems; Christian does. Some like to be well-dressed, others are friendly, real, selfish, intelligent, powerful.
Today we are hearing "air head" and it might be a fair description of some people though it is not exactly complimentary. Some are called hypocrites, others responsible, some are flighty, some are dependable.
In thinking about recognition and our measure of maturity with it, we can find the trend very useful. What is the trend of the recognition? Are people using different words about us? Instead of saying smart, are they beginning to say we are wise? Instead of being a good friend, they are saying we are a loyal friend, showing that we have been tested. Are we helpful, trustworthy, stable, mature, humble, and even generous?
Recognition counts --- and what we consider recognition tells a lot about us. Disciplining ourselves, deciding what we want to have recognized and watching the trend is part of the maturing process.
