David came into the room and seemed almost depressed. He said that he’d met with a colleague and the colleague had told him that it was hard for him that David has it “so easy in life.”
David is a smart, articulate, handsome man who can wear just about anything and look like he walked out of the men’s magazine, GQ. He has a warmth about him that endears him to others, and he brings great insight to his company meetings.
On the surface, it all looks easy, but it’s not been easy. Not at all.
David was abandoned by his mother when he was two years old and raised in the foster system. He held 2 – 3 jobs all through college and went to the school he could afford, not the one that would have nurtured his unique intelligence. Shortly after college, he was diagnosed with cancer and had a challenging recovery. His life felt hard on so many levels and he couldn’t comprehend how he could be thought of as having “an easy life”.
Most people have a something that they wish others understood, recognized, or knew about them.
For some, it’s specific to an effort they’re involved with and they want others to respect and value their contributions.
For others, it’s a sense that the people they see regularly don’t understand the challenges they’ve overcome.
And still for others it’s a wish that others knew and valued how passionate they are about the environment, children, animals, etc.
We’ve found that it’s important to know what you want others to know about you, and to explore if there are ways you can teach people more about who you are within the proper context.
Move through these three steps to see if there is anything you’d like to do differently:
- Who are the people in my life I’d like to know more about me?
- What are the 2 – 3 things I’d like them to know about me? (This may be different for the different people in different areas of your life and world.)
- How can I share more about myself in a way that feels natural to the situation? Can I tell a story, share something I’ve written, ask for a moment to let them know what I’d like them to know?
Remember, you always have the option of doing nothing, but sometimes risking a little by sharing more about yourself can help build relationships and a shared sense of the world.