There’s a belief floating around that karma is some mystical force...

I don’t see it that way.

Karma is practical...it’s mechanical.

It’s the natural consequence of decisions made…especially the ones no one is forcing you to make.

I’ve watched this play out more times than I can count.

Most recently, I watched a guy take advantage of a company he was with...nothing loud...nothing dramatic...just self-serving moves dressed up as justification.

He thought he was being slick and left for a competitor..."greener pastures" as they say...

Better title.
Better promise.
Better story to tell himself.

For a while, it looked like it worked.

Then the deal changed...terms shifted...leverage disappeared.

And he ended up worse off than where he started.

Not because anyone punished him...because no one had to...

Actions carry weight...even when the impact is delayed.

You don’t get away with things...you just delay the receipt.

And the receipt isn’t always money.

Sometimes it’s reputation...sometimes it’s trust...sometimes it’s realizing you became someone you don’t actually respect.

Here’s the question I always come back to…

How do you want people to think about you when you’re not in the room?

Not when things are easy...not when there’s no cost...but when a decision would be easy to justify in the moment…and harder to defend later.

Character isn’t what you say...it’s the pattern of choices you make when no one is forcing your hand.

Every decision is a vote.

For your reputation.
For your character.
For how people describe you long after the moment has passed.

Short-term wins feel good...they can even look smart...

But no win is worth sacrificing who you are.

Reputation doesn’t reset...people remember how you made them feel...

And eventually…that memory shows up in opportunities you don’t get.

Do the right thing when it costs you.

That’s usually the moment your character is being set.

By Chris Errington