Character is NOT reputation!
Your reputation is what people think you are; your character is what you are.
You want your reputation and your character to match, but concentrate on your character. 
You may be able to fool others about the kind of person you really are for a time, but it seldom lasts for long.
The surest way to make sure your character and your reputation are the same is to live your life in such a way that nothing you do would embarrass you if it were printed on the front page of the newspaper. Good character means not ever taking ethical shortcuts, even though everyone else may be doing so. You build good character by doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.
When considering a loan, a banker attaches great importance to three things: the borrower’s ability to repay the loan, the borrower’s credit history, and the borrower’s character. The first two considerations can be calculated mathematically; the third requires judgment and experience typically labeled – TRUSTWORTHY!
Bankers often lend money on character, but seldom on reputation alone, for they have learned that not all reputations are deserved. Our character is rooted in our morals around honesty. Its built on the fact that we either ARE or ARE NOT honest! There is no sometimes…
Prudent bankers have learned that persons of character are always a good risk because they take their obligations seriously while those who spend their resources on the trappings of success should be avoided at all costs.
Protect your good reputation as you would protect your home, your investments, and your life. Once shattered, a good reputation can only be regained by those who have developed the courage and willpower to persevere in the face of great odds.
If others are not providing you the trust that you desire….look in the mirror and ask yourself. “Am I living every moment with trustworthy integrity”
Most of us at one time or another have been misunderstood by those who are important to us. They thought we planned to take an action they disliked when in truth our intentions were to proceed in an entirely different direction. Such misunderstandings are usually quickly righted and life goes on. The same is true with character and reputation.
If your reputation is for some reason misaligned with your character, it will soon quickly right itself when others discover for themselves that you are not at all the kind of person they had assumed you were. If your foundation is strong, you never need to be concerned about such misunderstandings. Others will learn soon enough what kind of person you really are. Spend your time and energy in constant self-inspection and self-improvement, building strong character, and you will never have to worry about what others think of you.
You may think that no one is watching…but they ARE!