Most people define themselves by what they have done in the past, which isn't necessarily bad because your past can be an accurate predictor of your future.
Possibly the best known people defining themselves by their past are new college graduates looking for a job and sports players.
Is defining yourself by your past appropriate for your profession, though? I'm thinking of the many Realtor web sites I visit regularly that do two things wrong in my opinion:
- They tell me what they did in the past. The reason why I don't like this is because the past really doesn't affect me. If I hire you, what are you going to do in the future to help me meet my needs, wants, and goals?
- They tell me what their company did in the past. I don't really think that a lot of people care that they were #1 in gross sales in 1992, 1997, 2001, 2004, and 2008.
We are, indeed, defined by our past -- experiences, tragedies, victories, agony of defeat -- but I think those are best used as analogies and examples when one gets into the heart of nasty negotiations, not as a hook for catching that prospect.
Does the wake drive the boat? Does the smoke go ahead of the train? What do you want in your life? Who do you want to be? What is your dream?
Visualize what you want in the future, not what you had in the past. As soon as you do that, you just might find that the direction of your life changes, for the positive! If what you see in your future is not what you want, then now is the time to change. Take control of the steering wheel, slowly apply the brakes, and turn the corner to a new direction, a new life. The only thing stopping you is you!
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