Aligning Who You Are With What You Do

Everyone has probably heard about 6 degrees of separation: the idea that only 6 people separate one person from someone on the opposite side of the world. Well I am going to do something similar with some concepts and show how they all connect.

We are judged by what we do not what we think about doing. No one can read our minds and understand how kind we want to be, or what good deeds we think about doing. People only know what it is that we do or show. In essence what people see is who we actually are.

As I am preparing myself for entering the working world in the not so distant future, I have been reading a lot about personal branding and career advancement. What is interesting to me about the topic is the idea of formulating brand recognition for who I am. We want to be known for being good then we need to make sure that is the image we portray. Not unlike Nike, who we are means something. People who meet us, or see us, instantly form an opinion of us. We need to act how it is that we want people to see us. We can't expect them to think we are kind unless we do infact act kind.

I have discussed the topic of Individual Social Responsibility, the idea that, not unlike a corporation, we affect our environment and community and it is up to the individual to do their role to make the whole system better off. A person would take a concept such as human rights and incorporate it into their entire life. From making sure that the breakfast cereal they eat in the morning, to the car they drive to work, to the job they do once they get there, that all of these take into account basic human rights.

Dreams are another favorite topic of mine. If you are reading this blog you probably dream about changing the world in some way. We often say things like, "That would be a really good idea", or, "One day I will have to try that." However, rarely do people act on these intentions. For some reason the connection between a dream and real life has been disconnected. We separate the our two worlds into fantasy and reality and for some reason we decided that dreams fit into the world of fantasy rather than reality.

Effort and persistence are two very redeemable characteristics. They separate those people who accomplish great things from those that wish they could accomplish great things. We get in the habit of waiting for life to help us instead of helping ourselves. We give up on ourselves. Sometimes it doesn't feel like it but when we fail to go after our desires we are giving up on ourselves. We are convincing ourselves that we aren't worth it, or we are incapable of achieving it. Life requires effort if it is to be what we wish it to be. There are a few exceptions, people who are born with a gift that requires very little water to bloom, but they are the exception not the rule. Life also requires persistence. When we get knocked down we need to get back up. When we fail we need to continue trying. Great lives are defined by these qualities.

Goals allow us to plan. They make us sort out the steps we will need to take to accomplish whatever it is that we want to. They provide milestones to tell us we are on track, and to give us stars to shoot for. Thats what a goal is - a star in the sky - and when we get there we are able to realize that we can aim high and still succeed. Those that lack goals lack the will for something great.

Authenticity is truth. It is something that most people judge people on. Are you genuinely a good person or only pretending to be one. If you are not authentic then people will know. You can't pretend to be someone you are not because you are doing everyone a disservice. People are turned off by a fake. Be true to yourself and others will trust you. They will follow you.

All of these things are internal to us but they manifest outside of us. They are things that happen inside our mind, heart, and soul, but when present, are there for all to see. We need to align who it is that we want to be with what we do. We need to align who we are with what we do. To change the world, to live a life that most only dream of, we need to be the change. We need to internalize before we can start to externalize. Decide who you are and then how that fits in with what you want for your life - What you want for the world. We need to BE authentic, goal oriented, put in effort and persistence, and dream. We need to align our brand and our individual social responsibility with the world we want. Becoming the person that changes the world is a prerequisite for actually changing the world. It wont happen unless you are in fact representative of the world you want to create. You can't tell someone to be something and expect them to become it unless you model it. We want a better world but we have to be willing to be that better world. Everything is related, including who you are with the world you wish to see.