A prophet is not without honour, but in his hometown. Why? Just the simple reason of "see finish." Why should anyone listen to the carpenter's son they all watched growing up and running around the streets with the other children?

But it's also possible for a prophet to be without honour even outside his hometown. A fearful prospect! The man is indeed a prophet, but no one sees him as such.

Both cases are the product of one and the same phenomenon. Let me give it a name with ten letters. PERCEPTION.

Both the guys that are familiar with the prophet and the ones that are not, will honour him only according to how they SEE him. Some will see a mountebank and treat him as such, others will see a man genuinely called and will take off their clothes for the prophet to walk upon.

Alright. This isn't about a prophet. It's about you. Whatever it is you are or whatever thing you hands have found to do, your success and failure depends on the perception of the people you're dealing with. These people can be your customers or investors if you're into business, your employer(s) as an employee, your fans as a celebrity, your readers as a writer, your patronizers as a specialist in any field etc.

This is just to remind you that how the people with whom you have to do in your business or career perceive you and pay you their respect, money or attention, doesn't depend on luck or chance but to a great extent on the IMAGE you're presenting to them.

Newton's third law of motion, the famous law of cause and effect, plays here. Image projected equals perception created in people's minds. When you project yourself as sophisticated and show you know your onions, you'd be treated as an expert. But when you act like someone just rising through the ranks, people might treat you as second-class or an afterthought.

This may sound like smokescreen, but that's just how the world works. It's not enough to have substance; there's a need to build a corresponding excellent image so you can attract men to your doorsteps. Packaging works!

The thing is if you don't present yourself well, you stand the risk of losing the attention that befits the value you're carrying. And similarly, if you project an image that's not in keeping with the substance buried in you, you can be sure that you'd soon be found out. So, don't just concentrate on creating a good public image, make sure you have the right stuff too. A man of quality substance and a strong public reputation is always a force to reckon with.

Here's to your unstoppable success🥂

©J. Ebute (Penwielder)