Knowing Who You Are

How do you introduce yourself without any mention of your job title, position in the workplace, and role in relationships?

It’s not easy.  

I was reminded of that recently when I asked this question at a Greater Monadnock Society of Human Resources Managers’ meeting where I was presenting “Recognizing Burnout in Yourself and Others”- a topic near and dear to my heart. 

The conversation about burnout isn’t complete without talking about values and boundaries, roles and responsibilities, and the importance of knowing yourself.  

So back to the question…

How do you introduce yourself without any mention of your job title, position in the workplace, and role in relationships? 

Pretend for a moment that we are meeting for the first time and you introduce yourself to me without any mention of your job title, position in the workplace, and role in relationships.

It’s not easy to do.  

After several years of self-discovery, reflection, and practice, my introduction would be this:

“Hi. I’m Laurel.  I am an optimist, a problem solver, a connector, and a collector of sea glass and antiques. I’m curious by nature and enchanted by people, history, and culture.  I enjoy spending time in the woods and at the ocean.”

I didn’t always identify myself in this way. I didn’t know myself in this way. For most of my life, my identity was tied to my role in relationships, my position in the workplace, and my career title.  

Having a career and being a manager in a large corporation was important to me. Being a parent, a spouse, a daughter, and a friend was also.

My roles and responsibilities defined me. I never considered it a problem.

I defined myself, and who I was, based on external circumstances without giving any thought to who I was in relationship to myself.

It wasn’t a problem until it was.  I left the corporate world. My children left home to make their way in the world. My parents passed on. 

My identity was on shaky ground. Every change in my external circumstances had me questioning, “Who am I now?”  

Have you ever asked yourself that question?   

As difficult as it was to ask and answer, this question spurred my self-discovery journey.  It allowed me to begin to know myself in relationship to myself, to reconnect with parts of myself that I’d long forgotten, and to introduce myself in a completely new way.

So as you consider how to introduce yourself without any mention of your job title, position in the workplace, and role in relationships, I encourage you to begin exploring who you are in relationship to yourself. 

If you need help, no matter where you are on your self-discovery journey, I’m here for you!