#1253 - Past and Future
Lately, I've been in a few situations where I had to introduce myself. I'm always a little uncomfortable when I have to share about myself.
What do I say? Do I tell my story? Do I share what I do? And of the many things I do, which ones are worth sharing in this situation? What about who I want to become?
I have all these questions going in my mind while I wait for my turn to share.
This morning I remember an exercise I always propose to people preparing to join a mentoring program as mentees. I found out that I'm not the only one having difficulties when called to present myself.
Most of the people I know list their achievements or successes. That's a great way to establish their values in a conversation, but it says more about what they did in the past than who they are today.
So, in the exercise, I ask people to close their eyes, take a few deep breaths and then recollect the three events in their life so far that have shaped who they are today. I ask them not to overthink; the first three episodes that come up are perfect. I ask them to note them down using one sentence each and then close their eyes again. I then ask them to think about who they want to be. Their most audacious dream. If everything was possible, who would you be? If there's enough time, I can take them through a visualization or play with images to create their vision. I also ask them to note down who this future self is in one or two sentences.
The second part of the exercise can be done alone with a piece of paper and a pen, or even better, with a good listener friend.
I ask first to share the three episodes describing what happened and how that event changed them. What have they learned about themselves going through that episodes in their lives?
Then I ask them to describe their future self. What excites them about their vision?
With all those words on paper, they can look for patterns. Are there recurring words or expressions? What are the key traits that emerge?
More often than not, they find themselves with their introduction.
Ultimately, who we are today is a unique mix of our past and future.