“Who do you think you are?”

Did anyone ever say this to you?  This question is often posed in an attempt to “put you in your place,” a place of shrinking, hiding or covering up your natural expression of your strengths and talents.  There is some idea that if you are too confident, too sure of yourself or too fearless it’s going to go to your head and you will be some egotistical narcissist – and nobody wants that….

I can’t imagine this happening.  Most of the people that I know and have worked with over the last 25 years are so unlikely to become “full of themselves” it’s laughable.  A colleague in my Mastermind group said to me “I think that instead of shrinking us this question should expand us” and I agree with her.  Who do you think you are?

Do you know who you are?  Are you strong, compassionate, a lover of chocolate?  Do you get excited about NASCAR, irate that 100’s of children go to school without breakfast, weepy over Hallmark commercials?  Do you know that you are extraordinary, beautiful and courageous (you are…don’t even try to argue with me on this one!)?  Sometimes we are not sure who we are because we have been told too many times who we should be which means that our authentic selves often get lost. Isn’t it time for you to know who you are again?

What I can tell you is that knowing who you are makes you stronger, healthier and more powerful.  You make better decisions, develop the ability to say no and set boundaries and are able to create more time and energy for yourself and the people you love. Doesn’t that sound delightful?

Who do you think you are?!