Michelle Vaughn
THE HOUSEHOLD · WEDNESDAY
A write-up can have an end date. The story people keep telling about you often doesn't.
Your credit report generally lets go of a late payment after seven years. A bankruptcy can stay for up to ten. People are slower to let go.
I follow that question through Elizabeth Holmes and Martha Stewart in Friday's episode, coming November 6 at 11:45 AM Eastern.
I've watched how that unofficial punishment gets handed out. Somebody stops being invited to a meeting. Their name comes up and somebody rolls their eyes. In my experience, it goes harder on the people who were already being watched.
Last Wednesday I asked who gets another chance. The part I want to look at now is what we do after saying yes. A person can finish the official consequence and still walk into a room where everybody has already decided who they are.
That happens in families and friendships too. An old mistake becomes the explanation for everything somebody does. We stop asking what happened this time because we think we already know. It gets hard for a person to show us anything different if we're only looking for the thing we remember.
This week, listen to the next story you tell about somebody. Ask yourself: what do I know about this person today? Keep the facts you still need to act on. Notice whether the rest is something you keep repeating.
Has an old mistake ever followed you longer than it should have?
Hit reply and tell me what helped you move past an old story about someone. No names needed.
Michelle Vaughn
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