What would you say if I asked you to describe yourself? For me, such an open-ended question can feel so big that I almost don’t even know where to begin. And, yet, knowing exactly who we are and what we stand for are important elements to living the life we want to live and giving the world what we have to give.
Exercise for self-awareness
Today, I want you to use just 25 words to describe who you are. There are two rules.
Rule 1. None of the words you use can describe your physical attributes (although I am happy for you to use woman if it is helpful for you in beginning).
Rule 2. None of your words can describe the roles you play in life like mother, employee, entrepreneur, and so on.
(c) Jill E. Williams
As you prepare to write your twenty-five words, don’t panic. Give yourself about one minute to write your draft. Simply begin and let your unconscious mind take you wherever it wants to go; it is often right on track. Then, you can go back and edit the statement for length or content.
In my own words
In case it helps, here are two descriptors I have written about myself at other times in my life:
I am a woman who is proud of her history, aspires to use her creativity positively, and looks forward to her future.
I am a woman who is suddenly aware that I can control my destiny by creating the day that I most wish to have.
And here is a twenty-five word sentence I just wrote for myself with the same constraints I’ve suggested to you:
I am a woman emboldened by her passion and living on purpose so I can give my gifts to the world and find joy everywhere.
One of the great gifts I’ve discovered from writing is that by showing up at the page, I find what I most know to be true deep inside of me. By taking time to reflect and consider, we give ourselves the opportunity to hear that voice within that we too often quiet down because we are busy or distracted or scared of it.
So today, go to the page or the computer screen and find your twenty-five words. They do not need to be perfect or permanent. They simply need to guide you and serve as touchstones for you at this moment. And, please, share those words here with us in the comment section below so that we can each be inspired by one another as we use our words to be even more real and true.
