About this quote

Passive people let others control their story. If you want a say in how your work is remembered, you must actively shape the narrative yourself. Take charge of your projects and document your results as you go. Waiting for a manager or peer to notice your value is a losing strategy. You have to build the track record with your own hands.

When to use it

• A software developer volunteers to write the final project post-mortem report. They want to make sure their team's massive effort is documented accurately rather than filtered through a manager's bias.
• A local club president starts keeping a detailed logbook of all community events they organized. They know if they do not record the facts, the city will forget the club's impact.
• An athlete starts a raw, daily video vlog of their recovery from knee surgery. They want to show the realistic struggle of their comeback instead of letting the media control the story.