The first and foremost rule of anyone who enjoys having a good time is often the most forgotten. It is what I like to call reputation management. Don’t get me wrong, I like to have a good time, get crazy and do things I am not proud of just like the next person. However, if you are wreckless, your good times can come back to haunt you in the future.I have found in my short life, that there is an important formula to partying and still maintaining your professional reputation.

Here are a few tips I have learned that I hope are a benefit to you as you evaluate your next social gathering or party.

• Know your limits. On countless occasions I have had the unfortunate experience of having one too many or many times just the wrong combination of alcohol. It has resulted in a few bad nights where all of the sudden before I knew it, I was in bad shape. make sure you know how different types of alcohol affect you and in what quantities and combination. There is nothing worse than having a bad reaction to a mixture of alcohol and getting more intoxicated than expected. I recommend carrying around a Portable Breathalyzer. It can be a helpful tool when out and can help you keep a handle on just what level of intoxication you are on.
• Pictures - These little digital snapshots could be the death of you in the future. One picture of you in an offensive costume, in a sexually explicit position, or just plain embarrassing pictures can be damaging to your reputation. This is particularly true since nowadays personal information online is as readily available as ever. Be wary of who is taking pictures of you and where they are posting them. If you have Facebook or MySpace accounts, create limited profile views and put anyone in that list that you do not want to have access to pictures of you. You never know what future boss or employer may find online about you, so be cautious. If you just love the camera and cannot seem to get away from the snapshots check out this handy product Fred Black Bars Party Glasses.
• Don’t drink and drive. I realize that it may seem like a pretty obvious tip, but take it from me, one DUI or DWI and it can not only be a reputation killer, but a job killer as well. At some places, you can immediately lose your job if you get a DUI. It could also prevent you from getting future jobs who check your record. Not only are fighting these things incredibly expensive and time consuming, but they are one of the biggest hassles you could ever go through. Be smart and get a DD or take a taxi, it is not only safer for you but for everyone else on the road too.
• Don’t get hammered at work functions. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen people get completely sloshed when out with coworkers or even their boss. It is even worse when you are out with potential clients and you put back a few too many. It is embarrassing for yourself and your company, so take it easy at work functions, even if the alcohol is paid for.
• Be wary of who you are with. In addition to people drinking it up with their bosses, another contributing factor to ruining your reputation is being out with people you don’t know that well and do not trust. It is one thing to be out and let loose with your closest friends, who may tease you and give you a hard time, but at the end of the day they are going to take care of you. It is a completely different situation when you are out with acquaintances or people you have just met. They don’t have any loyalty to you and can make an embarrassing night even worse by telling everyone they know about that “drunk fool” at the party the other night. This especially comes into play when cameras start coming out. You never know who is taking pictures of you and where they are going to post it.

If you keep the above tips in your mind as you go out or have parties and apply as many of them as you can while you are out, you could save yourself a lot of grief in the future. Don’t let one senseless moment or decision ruin the important things in your life. Everyone wants to enjoy themselves, but there are methods to the madness. Have a great time and protect your future at the same time.

Here are the two products that we mention in this article. Check them out.

Tags: new years eve, party pictures, party tips, partying safe, safe driving

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 21st, 2008 at 1:31 pm and is filed under Staying Safe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.