Who are you? Who are You? Who are you?—John-Roger and Peter McWilliams
This article is to share some of the ideas we talked about and how we chose our exciting new venture(s). We are aware that the real strength of any person is enhanced when the person knows his, or her, weaknesses. It was first necessary for us to examine ourselves,find our strengths and weaknesses, and to find the right “niche” for our new income venture.
It has always been easier for me to look at another person and identify that persons strengths, weakness, faults and atributes. Often I have done that and made wrong judgements. Judgement is a very natural thing for us humans, we make over 1000 judgements in the first 60 seconds after we see someone, often before a word is spoken. The most unfair thing I do is to set these judgements in stone at the end of the first minute of my meeting with someone. It is very important that I keep my mind open with others, it also is important that I have an open mind in my view of myself. An open mind and flexibility to change are very important in my relationships with others and in my relationship with myself.
To see myself in my truest sense, my mind must be open to both the assets I posses, and the faults that posess me. I also must be flexible enough to change myself when and where there is an opportunity for improvement. To do the most thorough and honest look at ourselves is the very foundation the success of our new venture(s) will grow on. After all, our new income stream is OUR decision, OUR activity, and OUR responsibility. It only makes sense that we start with the best foundation we can build.
To get a look at myself and to build the strongest foundation possible, I needed some help. Needing help is not a weakness, asking for help is not a fault , so I did ask for help. I got a lot of help from folks telling me what I should change about myself ! That was not the help I was looking for, I wanted to know a method of self-searching that was proven, and would work to find the “true me”, so my foundation would not be on unsteady ground. The help came from a lot of folks working on one type of problem or another, and this process has been around for a long time.
The process is this:
1. List our faults, those things about us that have caused failures and problems in the past. Things like jealousy, fear, procrastination, etc. 2. List the things and people that make me mad. Why am I mad? What could I have done to change the situation that caused the angry reaction? 3. What am I afraid of, and what does that fear make me do (or not do) that gets in the way of my success and happiness? 3. How do I relate to people? Am I selfish, jealous, helpful, etc.? 4. What are my assets? 5. What are my interests? Because I learned that I am very materialistic, I needed to put all of this in a tablet and work on the process for a time (1 Week), then I had my foundation together. By putting this in a tablet I have a way to check myself, and change when I need to, I also can mark my progress, and I have a way to repair the foundation if and when it gets a bit weak in any area. A daily look, or journal also helps me to keep on track, and to note any helpful ideas I may have for improvement.
Doing this process took some time and effort, but, it has paid dividends both in my work, and in my personal life. That makes the time and effort an investment rather than a chore.
