Understanding Your Authentic Self
No matter our chosen profession, and regardless of our upbringing, we all have a natural way of being and we know our “way of being” (in terms of personality, talents, capabilities, ways of communicating, and ways of being motivated), are all different from those around us. We know from experience when we are in alignment with our natural way of being – and when we are not. We perform better, feel better, we have more success, and we get outstanding results.
For the purposes of developing your personal mission statement, and thus the focus of your Business of One, there are three aspects of who you are that you must understand, each unique to you:
- Your talents: These are your natural capabilities that can be honed with skills and practice to true mastery and made into your unique strengths.
- Your style of learning: This is the dominant way you process and communicate information.
- Your motivation style: This is the natural or intrinsic way in which you are motivated or compelled to action.
Together, these personal aspects provide you with a unique set of tools that can be packaged and sold to perspective “buyers.” Prospective buyers could be employers who need those skills, or you can apply them to your own business and then directly to your customers. Or you can share them with your family while you raise your children. Our unique combination of these three aspects of ourselves makes us all a very unique “business of one.” Thus, your personal mission statement defines the mission of your Business of One, and focuses the efforts of its lone employee – you – each and every day.
You can learn to do most anything but personal fulfillment and excellence only comes when you are aligned with your authentic self, your inherent talents, and your unique learning style and motivations. Can you be happy without that? Of course! Happiness is a choice, after all. But we are talking about true personal fulfillment and the ability to consistently perform at an extraordinarily high professional level. That only comes when you are really doing what you were meant to do. And what you were meant to do is most likely found when you are in alignment with your authentic self.