What Kind of Person Are You?
“So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way” Luke 19:4
When I say I will write once a week, I usually end up writing once in 2–3 weeks.
When I say I will leave work early, I usually end up working until 2100 hours. (Which in Kabul is past my curfew time)
Have you ever sat back to frame out statements like the ones above? Do you ever stop to check if what you do is consistent with you say? Doing that is not an easy task. At least for me. It is hard because you may have to face the harsh reality that you are letting yourself and others down. That was how I felt when I typed out those statements as they apply to me. Those are the harsh realities which I can only change when I confront them.
One day, while I was sitting at a Costa Café in Dubai airport, I came across a post on Medium by Steve Campbell. The article is a piece under Steve’s series titled “Improve Yourself”. In that piece were those self-evaluation statement in a three-part exercise that I decided to try. As I continued reading the article, I found my thoughts trying to make the connection between this exercise and another post I had read and a video clipped I had watched earlier in the week. The other post was by Darius Foroux, and the video was a clip of Simon Sinek.
“There can be no self-improvement without the alignment of these three things” — Steve Campbell
What are these three things? I will talk about one.
Introspection. The self-evaluation and examination that leads to heightened self-awareness, knowing yourself better. I am a firm believer in the notion that high EQ (emotional intelligence) is a key ingredient in the recipe of an exceptional leader. I use the word “leader”, not just in the sense of leading other people but also in the context of leading of one’s self. There is a good amount of compelling literature out there on the subject of which I have read a fair amount. However, probably most importantly, I have seen high EQ at play first hand. I believe my constant journies into self-discovery are what is helping me become a better version of myself.
The fact that I can question my motives for doing the things I do has helped reshape my decision making.
I have transformed myself from a “night person” to an early riser by evaluating my daily habits. I consciously set up my morning routines to ensure I have more productive days compared to the days I don’t plan.
Asking myself questions like what am I good at? Which part of the day am I at my most energetic self? What are things that I like to do? These are some of the questions I keep asking myself each time I decide to take me on a date. I have become truer to myself, act with more integrity and I have become more productive.
“The choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to require more from yourself.” — Oprah Winfrey
So then, what is the benefit in all this talk about self-awareness? Well, I would say it is the best place to start if you want to grow, improve yourself and be productive. “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” — Aristotle.
I cannot prescribe how you should go about your journey, but here is a practice I would recommend as a starting point. It is a list of “These 20 Questions Will Improve Your Self-Awareness” by Darius Foroux. These are solid questions of self-inquiry that resonated with me. However, one question stood out more than the rest. The question number 16 — “What type of person do I want to be?” I find myself going through this question on a regular basis if not every day. And every time I do, I try to connect it to my “why”. The person that I want to be should lead me to realise and live out my reason for my being. I suppose that raising your EQ will help you better connect your “why” which is another learning in itself. Thankfully, we have a go-to person in Simon Sinek on the subject of finding your “why”; a subject which he popularised. His books, video talks and interviews are filled with invaluable insights that are relevant to personal and corporate growth alike. In one of his many videos on YouTube, Simon Sinek narrated an experience he had with a friend with whom he had completed a run. It is the bagel story. At the end of the race, there was free bagel for everyone. Simon could only see the bagel he wanted bt his friend could only see the long queue of people waiting to grab their free bagel. Catch the video on YouTube to see who won the argument, if you have not already seen it. Simon’s take away from that experience was this…
“There are two ways to see the world. Some people see the thing that they want. And Some people see the thing that prevents them from getting the thing that they want.” — Simon Sinek
I hope you can get started on your journey of self-discovery. And if you are already on your journey, I hope you discover your “why” so you can become the type of person you want to be. Why not start with the end in mind? Know what type of person you want to be even before you start to work on yourself. So here are is my set of question to you:
1. Do you see possibilities of getting the things that you want, or
2. Do you see the impossibilities that will stop you from getting what you want
I choose to see the “free bagel” and not the long queue. Anything that is worth it does not come easy. It takes patience, perseverance and hard work.
The more you push to know yourself, the more you will see the possibilities. Align what you think, say and do. That is integrity. That is the way to excellence.
