“101 Simple Truths For A Better Life” Humble The Poet (14) “WHO ARE YOU?”

 


A question I’ve recently found myself asking more than ever. At the end of the day no one will ever know better than me.  Seeking approval from others just allows them dominance over my own identity.  The outside world will never have a great picture of what’s inside, heck I barely know yet.  Close your eyes and explore what’s inside and try to get a firm grip of who’s really there.  That mental picture will never be captured by a camera and can never be validated by the people around you.  It’s your image and only you have the negative.  

As Dr. Seuss says, “Why try to fit in, when you were born to stand out.”  I will never forget my interview with Desjardins over 7 years ago.  It was a career change for me and we were asked to come prepared with  a material object that best describes us.  After a couple of days of contemplating, I quickly omitted the items I thought to be typical and obvious.  A pair of glasses for ‘focused’, a watch for ‘punctual’, and for the record I will state that two candidates in the room had these very objects.  It was a group interview, all candidates sat around a table with three Desjardins employees, managers and a HR representative.  The process slowly went around and now the spotlight was on me.  I reached into my suit jacket and pulled out a small box wrapped in sandpaper.  As I slowly spun the box in my hand and tore the sandpaper away, I said “this box is a representation of myself, as you can see it has some rough edges on the outside, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts.”  By the time my little speech was done, the sandpaper was torn away and the box was open revealing a diamond ring.  I ended by saying “I’m the diamond in the rough that you’re looking for.”  I didn’t want to fit in, I was born to stand out and that is exactly what I wanted Desjardins to know.  Long story short, a few days later I was presented with my offer letter and the rest is history.  I just pray for the day I can return to the job I love so much (refer to my blog “What The Heck Happend To Me? Part 1 & 2) for more details on this if you don’t already know.

“If people don’t like you for who you are, change the people, not yourself”


So, who are you?  What is your personality and core values?  What are your passions and skills?

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