Battling "Legacy You"

In the technology world, we talk about "legacy" software.  That is, old programs that linger around and impact the way you do things today. Replacing them can be challenging and costly.

I was thinking the other day about "Legacy You" or really "Legacy Me."

Over the past 18 months or so, I've been putting forth a concerted effort to work on my emotional intelligence, empathy, and compassion. Some progress has been made and there's still a lot of work to be done.

That being said, there are many people with whom I interact and whmo I haven't seen or talked to in a long time, so they may not be aware (or see immediate evidence) that I'm working on changing that part of my character.

This came to a head a few weeks ago when someone rebuked me in a pretty harsh way, one that I think I would have been appropriate for me a few years ago, but less so today.

I wasn't upset. I just realized the person was behaving in a way that was appropriate for what I hope/believe is "Legacy Jer."

It made me realized that, no matter how much each of us tries to change, we are all dealing with others' perspectives on our "Legacy" Selves.

It's a good reminder, however, about the future.  How we behave today is going to impact future behaviors towards us.