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August 6, 2009 I have returned from a couple of weeks vacation during which time I spent a little bit of time contemplating who I really am. I was doing this because I am reading a book entitled Leadership From the Inside Out by Kevin Cashman for a second time. It is a book where you are advised not to read it from cover to cover but to stop, think, take notes and answer some of the questions provided. Of course, being what I believe is me, I did not take this advise the first time and read the book from cover to cover. Now reading it a second time, I can hardly believe that I read it the first time as I am discovering much new material. In this book there is a quote by Carol Orsborn which says, "When you empty yourself of the illusions of who and what you think you are, there is less to lose than you had feared." This resonated with me because I had recently read a coaching article where the client who was a senior executive essentially was answering an important question about why he acted in the manner that he did with a response that if I behaved in another manner, it would not be me. This was a huge realization for the client as what was holding back this person in further advancing his career was how he perceived himself. Once having this realization and with some further coaching and homework by the client he became more successful in his role. I wondered what if I believed that I was more outgoing and believed that I had a wealth of experience to share with world. Why do I believe what I have experienced is worth less than what others have experienced? Is this limiting my business success? Or on a more personal note, what if I could share my inner feelings with those closest to me because I believed that I was less introverted or more passionate? What kind of person could I become? I was prompted to write this blog while taking my morning walk with my two dogs--a miniature schnauzer and a pug. I was walking past a park and noticed a swingset. I recalled how I used to enjoy swinging on these swings and much to my mother's chagrin occasionally jumping off while in midair. I thought to myself, what if I didn't believe that I was too old to be playing on swings. Why can't I? However, perhaps I will not jump off in midair.
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