Dear Pharaoh #1 - Who am I? No.. Who are you?
Deep down inside most people don’t know who they are, on an individual level.
Dear Pharaoh,
There comes a time in every man’s life where he must take a step back and ask “who am I”.
Naturally, over the years people will ask “what do you do?” “Where do you work?” “where are you from?” and so on and so on. But, there will be that one time, where someone will ask you that one question and really mean it... “who are you?”.
You will answer like “my name is Pharaoh, I am from here and I do this” most likely your job title will get thrown in there and this will be your answer... but then this one person will say “no no no, who are YOU?!? I don’t want to know what you do, I want to know who are YOU?”.
This question may rattle you - well, if I don’t do my job correctly it will - it may rattle you because “who are you?”
Deep down inside most people don’t know who they are, on an individual level, they seek external validation from the world, on an interaction level. They seek job titles, fame, or an arbitrary salary amount to define who they are or even worse... They want to be in and around the people with the titles, fame and things. They are trapped by their social status.
But, for this one person, who is tired of the social status game, they will cut through and ask you this one question, and this question will ignite the most shattered souls.
But for now... Let me answer the question. I am only answering this to give you an example of reference, because in hindsight, all the things I WAS, I no longer am... This all becomes philosophical in thought but I do hope philosophical thinking was instilled.
“I am a man of many things, yet nothing at all. I solve problems and by creating peace in these spaces of chaos, It leads me to contentment”.
At my core, my individual level, this is who I found out I am.
A more human/emotional response would be.
“I am the child of Caribbean travellers who was afforded the luxury to make mistakes, learn fast and create myself, in Britain”
Does this make sense? For many, not at all but to open yourself and ground yourself, this will keep you connected to your authenticity.
Let me explain... People will prefer this type of answer: “ I’m a business consultant” then they can track the conversation and reply with “oh what type of business do you consult in?” this is where they will (unbeknownst to them) subconsciously put a definition to whether you will be of value to them, now, soon or in the near future, and therefore forge a friendship/connection around you regarding these things, to begin with.
If your sales pitch is decent you would say something like “ I help businesses transform the way they operate, in order to help them make more money or save more money”.
This will lead them in more to dig deeper into asking “how do you do that?”
Throw in some buzzwords and highlight some of the companies you work for and this will validate you and your worth, to them.
But hopefully, to you, it adds nothing, it is empty. You talked about a good game but understand that it is empty. Where do you drive value here? Is this who you really are? No.
Who you are, is what you do.
I told you, I am a problem solver. My mission - my aim and goals in life - is to add value, and solve problems for the betterment of others. That is who I am and I want you to be a man of these same values. I want you to learn, fail fast and add value to anything you touch. Be a man of integrity, loyalty and respect. Treat people like humans and not as a person that could be useful to you in the future. Help people grow, develop and become greater with zero expectations of returned favours. That is who you are and that is what I will work to instil in you.
By these virtues alone, you will go on to do great things and help so many people, that people will already know who you are well before you walk through the door.
You got this!
Love dad x