I agree. It sounds a bit odd, but I encourage you to take me up on this suggestion. Give yourself a new introduction to yourself. Through this exercise, you will gain a better and much more accurate view of yourself. As a result, you will become far better equipped to turn your life-long dreams into reality.
Here’s the How:
Find a place where you have privacy and cannot be interrupted. Have a pen and paper handy – no technology needed. Actually, completely leave the technology behind. It’s way too distracting.
Step One:
Start with your name: Hi, I’d like to introduce you to Colleen. Typically, I don’t recommend that you talk about yourself in the third person (people find that very annoying), but this exercise is an exception.
Step Two:
Tell yourself about a key role in your life that means a great deal to you. Only, you have to brag it up. Include the skills you have, your unique qualities, and why you are someone you should know. Be sure to include why you do what you do. This is where the pen and paper come in. As soon as a skill or quality of yours comes to mind, write it down. If you struggle with this, think about what your best friend or one of your parents would say about you. Set aside any areas of weakness or needing improvement. We’ll get to that later. If this current role isn’t quite where you want to be, still only speak positive about the role, yourself, and what you bring to that role. Step 3 will address goals or dreams for future roles.
Bad example: Colleen is the owner of Total Strength Fitness.
Great example: Colleen feels strongly that everyone needs to build strength for their body, mind and soul. She believes everyone has a purpose for their life. She is passionate about helping people see their own great value, find their passion, and to put that passion into their life’s purpose. One of the things that has helped Colleen gain a better understanding of herself and her potential is fitness. She has run many marathons and other road races, and she does really well. She is very fit and nearly everyone thinks she looks younger than she really is. She has a ton of energy and is a lot of fun. She loves to read and write. Colleen enjoys learning and she gets a kick out of trying new things. Since she has gained first-hand knowledge of how physical fitness plays such a significant role in experiencing total strength (mind, body and soul), she has started Total Strength Fitness to help people gain strength through her personal training services, her writing, and her public speaking.
Step Three:
Tell yourself about what you would like for yourself in the future. Present this dream or goal as something that is sure to happen – not what you hope will happen. Write down your past and current life experiences. See how what you are doing now, or have done in the past, is helping you head in that direction. Instead of stating what you are missing or what is getting in the way of your dream role, think about how every life experience can teach you something, and help prepare you for what you want to achieve. You will surprise yourself with how you are, in fact, doing things that will help you get to where you want to be and what you want to do. Be encouraged by that.
Bad example: Colleen hopes to get a book published and become a nationally known public speaker, but she’s a ways off from that, right now.
Great example: Colleen writes a daily devotional as a great way to create content for her book that will be published. She also offers classes through the community center which, in turn, prepares her for more public speaking. She never turns down an opportunity to speak in front of a group, as she figures you never know who is in that audience and may need exactly what Colleen can deliver. Colleen uses and applies her experiences with past jobs, her health, fitness, and relationships as great content sources for her speaking and writing. Colleen also studies and learns from other people who already have accomplished what she is striving to do. This way, she can better plan how she will achieve her career and life goals.
Step Four:
Conclude the introduction. This is more than a formality. Think about why you introduce one person to another. The two people may have a lot in common. You may think they’d become good friends. They may be able to help each other in their endeavors. It just may be that you like both people very much, and you want each of them to know how important the other is to you. The introduction conclusion (sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it?) tells the reason for the introduction. For this step, think about how meeting you would be a positive thing for the other person.
Bad example: I thought it’d be good for you to meet Colleen.
Great example: I am so glad I got the opportunity to introduce Colleen to you. She’s been important to me my whole life. I am certain that once you see who Colleen is, you will really like her and see what a great impact she can have on your life. As a matter of fact, the two of you have so many great qualities that I am certain you will find that both of you are even better by knowing each other.
Step 5:
Lastly, take each of these steps and write out your introduction. After you’ve written it out, speak it out loud. This is why you are someplace private.
Here’s the Why
I’m guessing you discovered the “why” through this process, but just to be certain, I’ll spell it out. Remember at the beginning of this article, I said, “Through this exercise, you will gain a better and much more accurate view of yourself. As a result, you will become far better equipped to turn your life-long dreams into reality?” Your reintroduction of you to yourself is meant to show you that you do have many gifts, skills and qualities that match up perfectly with your life’s passion and purpose. Far too often, we focus on our shortcomings and failures. You have what it takes to get what you want. When that self-doubt starts to creep in, pull out your reintroduction, read it out loud, and remember how really great it is to know you and to be you.
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