All About You — Day 10: So Who Are You?
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[For “Day 9: Heroes and Mentors,” click here.]
ALL ABOUT YOU — DAY 10:
SO WHO ARE YOU?
If you have been following along in this “All About You!,” series then you have learned a lot about yourself!
Today, we’re going more with our instincts than with our rationality.
Let’s tap our subconscious, let it flow, and see what gifts are revealed to us.
If you’re never tried any type of stream of consciousness brainstorming, you are in for a real treat! It works like this: You ask yourself a simple question, or state an incomplete sentence to yourself, repeatedly, until you exhaust every possible answer to the question, or fill in the missing part of the incomplete sentence with all the different words/thoughts/ideas that pop into your head without any self-editing whatsoever, regardless of how sensible, silly, or, even frightening the suggestion might be, for at least 15 minutes, or until you run out of answers. Later, you edit for accuracy and analyze the results. This is a useful tool that helps unlock our subconscious by accessing it through our conscious minds.
Does this sound exciting to you? Or, does it make you feel uncomfortable? At the very least, it won’t be boring! Whatever the result, what do you have to lose? You don’t have to show it anyone. It takes courage to find out who you really are.
The only thing you have to lose is any misunderstandings of yourself that you still carry around with you everywhere you go—like a huge backpack filled with common rocks that we gathered as souvenirs from our past—when you could just stop and dump at least some of the heaviest ones on the side of the road right now. Until you do, you won’t have any room left in your pack for the precious gemstones lying all along this road that we’re taking together. They may still be in the rough, not cut or polished yet, but that’s the work we must do to turn these special stones into huge, sparkling diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. Now, let’s do this!
BRAINSTORMING EXERCISE
1. Preparation
Clear your mind of all other thoughts. If stray thoughts not related to this exercise wander into your mind, let them drift right back out of your mind without paying any special attention to it. (If you think it’s something important that you’re afraid to forget later, just jot it down quickly and let it out of your thoughts again.)
2. Let it All Flow Freely
Use paper or the computer. Whatever is more comfortable for you. Jot down or type everything. Don’t cross out or delete anything (even if you suspect you might have already recorded it). Don’t reread your answers either (or check if you already recorded it) because doing so will break the flow. Just keep going. Ask yourself the question repeatedly and write down every answer that pops into your mind.
Here’s the question: “Who am I?”
- a. Stay in the Present
There are probably hundreds of possible answers to this question. I list below the ones that immediately came to my mind as the answers that different people might come up with. Don’t judge yourself based on your own answers. That’s not the point of this exercise. The words you choose are merely clues to help you see and start to understand the bigger picture of who you are right now, right here—as well as who you no longer are or who you would like to be but have not become yet.
- b. Possible Answers
(1) Based on Our Physical Traits, Compared to Others
(a) gender: female; male
(b) age: young; middle-aged; old
(c) race: white; black; Asian; Hispanic; Latino; Native-American, etc.
(d) ethnicity/nationality: Mexican; Korean; Canadian; Indian; etc.
(e) sexual orientation: heterosexual; homosexual; bisexual
(f) visible physical traits: short; tall; thin; fat; attractive; plain; etc.
(g) demonstrable skills: slow/average/fast thinker/learner/runner/etc.
(2) Based on Our Relationships (Only Some Are Voluntary)
(a) wife; husband; spouse; girlfriend; boyfriend; lover; soul mate; etc.
(b) mother; father; parent; grandmother; grandfather; grandparent; etc.
(c) daughter; son; only child; eldest child; etc.; sister; brother; etc.
(d) friend; peer; classmate; teammate; colleague; competitor; rival; enemy
(e) student; teacher; coach; mentor; school counselor; parent volunteer
(2) Based on the Roles We Chose to Play
(a) smoker; nonsmoker; drinker; nondrinker; healthy; unhealthy; etc.
(b) employee; boss; subordinate; supervisor; manager; coworker; etc.
(c) entrepreneur; doctor; lawyer; accountant; graduate student; etc.
(d) skilled; experienced; knowledgeable; educated; wealthy; etc.
(3) Based on Our Personality Traits (in No Special Order)
dreamer
creative
artistic
romantic
curious
interested
interesting
imaginative
whimsical
enthusiastic
excited
energetic
positive
delighted
cheerful
joyful
joyous
likable
happy
loving
peaceful
comfortable
hardworking
fun-loving
determined
resolved
resolute
certain
frugal
worker
planner
organizer
researcher
skeptical
realistic
practical
informed
aware
knowledgeable
experienced
skilled
careful
calm
reliable
responsible
resourceful
loyal
brave
courageous
fearless
idealistic
dreamy
awestruck
wondrous
in love
in wonder
charming
flirtatious
friendly
funny
playful
player
hater
critical
unhappy
easily annoyed
hateful
insecure
jealous
paranoid
mean
vengeful
doubtful
fearful
negative
uninspired
joyless
miserable
wretched
confused
exhausted
depleted
fatigued
tired
sleepy
insomniac
worried
terrified
crazy
neurotic
anxious
overwhelmed
underwhelmed
unsure
uncertain
negative
apathetic
bored
boring
clueless
shifty
restless
unlikeable
afraid
foggy
discouraged
distracted
disturbed
grumpy
impatient
short-tempered
angry
rageful
pissed
paranoid
weird
strange
excitable
wasted
buzzed
fuzzy
out of it
incredulous
indignant
in denial
banged-up
beat up
beaten
wasteful
spendthrift
defeated
friendless
hopeless
lost
down and out
broke
penniless
tiny
small
insignificant
indifferent
complacent
wishy-washy
- c. Time to Edit Answers Based on Personality Traits Only
When you can’t think of a single additional answer to add to your list of words based on personality traits, take a break. Then, come back to it. First, cross out or delete all duplicate answers. Second, cross out (but do not delete) all words that, upon further consideration, you just don’t think really apply to your current circumstances. (But, save the deleted words in your diary for future reference. They may have applied to you in your recent past or may apply to you in your near future.) Third, put the remaining words into groups according to similar theme.
Finally, analyze the groups, looking for overarching themes. For example, unless a person is suffering from a severe mental disorder, they wouldn’t list all of the above sample answers as applying to them at the same time. Instead, there should be a few easily recognizable patterns of similar traits emerging, while other traits should be missing entirely. Do you like what you see? If not, you now have a clearer picture of what to change—always an excellent step in the right direction! If you’d like me to help analyze your answers, feel free to contact me or leave a comment!
TO BE CONTINUED …
This is going to be an adventurous journey into our past, present, and future lives. None of us can be prepared for what we might find along the way. So, just sit back and enjoy the ride! Also, I hope at least some of you brave souls will share your answers, insights, and revelations in the comments below for everyone’s benefit!
When you’re done, collect your answers and keep them in a safe place. I recommend a diary. It makes a precious gift to someone you love, especially you!
[For “Day 11: What Do You Want?,” click here.]
[For entire “All About You!” series, click here.]
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[For “10 Reasons to Keep a Diary,” click here.]
[For “20 Questions for Your Diary,” click here.]
[For “Requests for Cuckoo in Your Nest!,” click here.]
[For “How to Be an Extrovert,” click here.]
[For “My 10 Commandments,” click here.]
[For “Fan Your Inner Flame Till It Burns Bright,” click here.]
[For “Change Your Mindset to Change Your Life,” click here.]
