Vanity (n) – excessive pride in one’s appearance, qualities, abilities, achievements, etc.

Vanity (n) – a cabinet built below or around a bathroom sink, primarily to hide exposed pipes.

My mother was very proud of her French-Canadian heritage.  Many times, she would give us a lesson in the English language and word usage.  Her favorite line was, “It’s French, you know”.  There were many eye rolls in our household whenever she spoke that phrase.  She would be so proud of me as I write these words – vanity derived from the old French, vanite, meaning self- conceit and the Latin, vanitatem, meaning emptiness.  Mom was right- it IS French!

The contrasts of vanity, the personality quality versus the bathroom fixture, isn’t as far apart as it may seem.  Though most of us would cringe at being labeled “vain”, being conceited and full of oneself is painfully common in today’s saturated social media world, overflowing with viral videos and identities rooted in follower numbers.

A vanity in the bathroom was originally designed for society’s elite to hide their toiletries.  Both men and women would tuck away their cosmetics, perfumes, powders, razors, oils, etc. The cabinet was a front and center fixture in a bathroom.  Huh.  Front and center, sounds like the same vanity seen in the tabloids and online. The vanity originally housed things precious to appearance. Today, vanities not only house bathroom and grooming essentials, it also hides pipes and the true workings of a sink.

Both vanities are focused on being noticed while masking the true purpose. Do we want to be noticed for the outward appearance or because of the character exuding from within?  Are we self-centered or people-centered? Being bold accompanied with humility has a far greater reach by building trust. Quiet confidence draws others closer.

I’ve ridden in the over-confident, egocentric rut before and it is not a great place to exist. Unfortunately, I discovered vanity isn’t the approach to good, foundational leadership nor does it lend itself to building strong friendships.  It took a long time to find a better approach and my transformation is a story for another day.