Perception of different people about something tends to be the same or differs depending on who is deciding and the angle visible to the people who are having their say. So when it comes to people's perception about an individual, it might be similar to what the person thinks about themselves, and on other occasions, it can be different. Take for instance I've heard different peoples perceptions about me and while I tend to agree with some, others seems kind of strange, but for better understanding of these I'd be using myself as a case study to talk about my perception of myself compared to other people's perception of me.
When it comes to my personal take on myself, I see myself as a hardworking individual who's a goal getter, diligent, and resilient and who doesn't give up easily on my dreams, ambitions, or goals regardless of the reality of challenges that stand like a boundary between me and the dream. I've seen myself as this kind of person for years, and this is based on my personal observation of myself, how I deal with things, and my mindset about difficulties. To show the efficacy of my perception about myself, I've gotten to achieve the majority of anything I longed for and am able to live above stumbling blocks.
When it comes to people's opinions of me, I believe the majority of their opinions align with what I think about myself. Take for instance that I once asked three of my colleagues this very question at work today, and all three of them had almost the same thing to say about me, from being a goal getter to being diligent, result-oriented, and the like. Although, to be honest, I once actually included that I can be lazy or unwilling to do something at times. And I must say I do understand where he's coming from, because to start with I don't give my all to a course I don't align with, and even if it's coming from my superior, I might find a way to not do such until I get clarity on them.
Why he believe I'm somewhat lazy or tend to run away from some work is because I don't like people taken advantage of me, so when I notice you're the kind of person who uses your position to try and make people do things for you and still not reward or recognise them, then it's best I keep myself far away from such persons. And that's why when he said that particular statement, I know he's right because I do such to him often, what he didn't know though is my reason for doing so.
So talking about comparing my perceptions of myself compared to people's own about me, I must say that it's actually almost all entirely correct, because I'm all of what they stated, and what they stated is the side of me they get to see. On the aside that are somewhat different or various, like I said above, I intentionally show that part of me to the person because he likes to take advantage of people. That's why he'll use you and take the glory on the big stage without rewarding or recognizing your input, so to avoid being such a tool, I tend to ascend whenever he calls, and that's why he has that take, so it's not a big deal for me, because I won't be changing. until he does.
All photos are mine.