Read Time: 3 minutes

Happy Sunday 👋🏾,

A while back, I found out someone was trying to discredit my name and brand.

Not to my face. Behind my back.

Trying to make my business look amateurish and small.

Can you imagine?

I won't lie. When I found out, I got hot.

I was already sitting down, planning my reply.

How dare they? What have I done to them?

You can win business without stepping on someone else.

I won't go into the details.

And here's the thing. I've got no problem with competition.

None. Compete with me all day.

But I believe there's a way you carry yourself while you do it.

So there I was. Vexed. Ready to go.

Then I took a breath and asked myself one question.

Why am I letting someone change the character of who I am and what I stand for?

Then I asked a better one.

How did this business actually grow in the first place?

Yeah, I'm good at what I do. I deliver. I'll back myself on that.

But it's deeper than the brand.

It's the way I treat people. The relationships I build.

That's what makes people loyal. Not a logo.

And the other thing I told myself was simple.

Don't react the way that person wants you to react.

Stay true to who you are.

So I did nothing.

I didn't bite. I didn't call it out. I just kept it moving.

Now don't get it twisted.

I'm not saying turn the other cheek, then the right one, then stand in the middle and get slapped on both sides.

But I do believe good guys win. The ones who do it with integrity.

The best way to answer someone like that is to show them exactly what you're about.

And honestly? Maybe I owe them a thank you.

Because it lit a fire in me.

It got me building the new venture faster than I might have.

Not everyone wants to see you win. And that's okay.

As long as I stick to who I am, and do it with grace, I'll be alright.

Because most of the time, when someone tries to make you look smaller, it isn't about you.

It's about them.

I always come back to this.

My son watches how I move.

So I need to move the way I'd want him to when it's his turn.

I let the work, and the way I do the work, do the talking.

You can win and still keep who you are.

Well, you can win the other way too.

But when you get to where you're going, will you be happy with how you got there?

I'm still working that one out.

But I know this much.

I'd rather lose the honest way than win as someone I don't recognise.

The reply stayed where it belonged.

Unsent.

And I slept just fine.

Quote of the Week

Have a great week!

If someone forwarded this to you, Subscribe here.