A lot! This is coming from a girl whose name is not exactly simple. My Cuban parents wanted a fun, French name, but didn’t like the original “Y” spelling of it, so they went with Ivette. When I was little, I would dream of having a more common name and for a while I made my mom call me Kim because I loved the character from “Different Strokes.”
There have been a lot of articles lately about names — CNN asked “Does your name shape your destiny?” (http://bit.ly/ddBPRw) I’m not sure, but I know that loving yourself and loving your name play a big role in your life and your level of confidence. As I got older, I learned to appreciate having a different name and have embraced it everyday since. I can’t imagine having any other name.
My other big thing is making an effort to remember people’s names and get the pronunciation right. This is a huge pet peeve of mine because so many people get my first and last name wrong ALL the time. I’ve learned to laugh it off because some of the pronunciations people come up with are hysterical. But I try my hardest not to be that person who massacres everyone’s name, even if they’ve met the person a million times.
So I’ve made it a priority when I meet someone to learn their name and then use it as many times as possible while I’m around them to ensure it’s ingrained in my mind. I especially make it a point to learn the names of servers at restaurants. I’ve never waited tables, but I can imagine how annoying it would be to have someone yell “hey you!” or “lady…” instead of asking for me by name. I find that learning a server’s name and actually using it equals better service and more enjoyable dining experience.
What are your name issues? Do you like your name? Do you think a name can affect certain aspects of your life? Let me know your thoughts.
Ivette Faulkner 