Bi onígbá bá ṣe pé igbá, la máa ba pèé – literally, “It’s what you call your product, others will call it.”
I remember one time walking into a Louis Vuitton store. I asked the attendant, with a warm smile, when their products would be on sale. She responded, “Louis Vuitton does not offer discounts on sales.”
I paused for a moment, thinking, what sort of pride is that? With all the other stores offering markdowns of up to seventy percent on the streets of London, how could they say they don’t discount?
But at the end of the day, it is their product, their terms of service, and I either accept it or look for what fits my tax bracket.
This is a lesson I’ve learned in business over the years: your terms and conditions should make sense to you and guide how you operate.
I have found myself breaking my own rules just to make a sale, and it has always burned me. Until one day, my wife said, “How do you expect not to encounter challenges when you’re going against your own terms? Others to respect your terms if you keep going against them?”
Watch this video: Know Your Worth
The same applies to life. There should be terms and conditions guiding your life: boundaries, limits, and guiding principles that you do not break for anyone.
Once you break the rule for one, you break it for all.
This same thread runs through our philosophy at the Elevate Your Style community. Elevate Your Style upholds excellence, creativity, culture, and owning your identity with confidence. Identity is a journey of both self-discovery and expression; you don’t have to walk in another person’s shadow. If personal style and identity appeal to you; and if thoughtful conversations surrounding culture and legacies motivate you – you belong to this family.
What are your thoughts about this piece? Please share them with me in the comments section.