Who are you? What defines you? How would you describe yourself?
Describing Yourself
Perhaps you are in a profession where you network frequently and you have to give an “elevator pitch” every now and again. Or perhaps you are dating and find yourself writing and re-writing your profile on online dating sites. Or possibly you are doing some soul-searching/personal development work and you are self-reflecting.
The beauty of being YOU, is that you get to be EXACTLY who you choose to be. But sometimes, that doesn’t seem so easy when we get defined by many external circumstances.
External Influences That Might Define Us
Have you ever been introduced in relation to someone else?
“Have you met Mary? She is John’s sister.”
Or have you found yourself describing a co-worker such as:
“You know who I’m talking about–Jessica from Human Resources.”
Isn’t it funny how we often use these types of descriptors to define others? The question then becomes…how do YOU want to be seen and described? Who do you choose to be?
Changing our Perspectives of Others & Therefore Ourselves
What if we were to focus on intrinsic personal characteristics when thinking of ourselves and others. Such as:
“This is Amanda. She is always optimistic and makes me laugh.”
Next time you have the opportunity to describe someone else, consider how you think she would want to be described and use that to shape your description.
Choosing Who You Want To Be
Even though we can’t change the way others do things, it’s important to decide who is the person you choose to be and how do you surround yourself with those who support who you are. At the end of the day, we all have choices to make. The easiest choices are those that have to do with ourselves as individuals. By choosing to be who you want to be, versus letting others define you or influence you, you have the power to live your life as you want, authentically to you!
