As gals online, we spend a fair bit of time working out how to share what's behind the screen honestly, richly, and dynamically. Our souls aren't 2-dimensional, so the challenge is how do we share our multi-dimensional selves?
There is plenty of material out there to help us navigate where to draw the line on oversharing, how to maintain privacy, and warning against being fake. This is not that.
It's simply the exercise we go through ourselves to better understand the gap between who we are and how we come across, so we can shorten it if we can. We think this exercise is worth doing whether you're a parent, teacher, friend, host, or boss of any kind, online or off. Interacting with people is a skill. Understanding and being our true selves with others is also a skill. We're always practicing both.
The goal is to end up with a short, specific, and fairly well-rounded written piece about yourself. You can use it as a biography on social platforms, or as a personal reference as you engage with others. Go back to it and check-in. Cheers to being better communicators, and connecting on a deeper level with ourselves and others!
"People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it." - Simon Sinek
If you're curious what we came up with as a result of the exercise, here's some of the insight Maddie got as she went through the workbook.
I'm Maddie. I'm a designer, stylist, writer, mom and wife. That's what I do, but this is about who I am. I'm passionate about self-expression, doing things the old-fashioned way, a grungy kind of beauty, and telling stories. I tend to be broody, serious, and a little dramatic; I love movies (old and new, musicals and thrillers), snacks, board games and blankets...especially with other people. People say I'm insatiably curious and ask tons of questions—not always the kind with respectful or tidy answers. While I'm traditional in many ways, I curse a lot, have an obsession with raunchy R&B, and a couple tattoos. I'm also mostly a hermit, but crave real connection with others. My greatest challenge is finding my worth inside, before comparing my value to every other mother and creative out there. My insecurity is that to really connect with others, they need to see something rare in me. If I'm not special enough, I won't be worthy. I take steps to overcome this every time I expose myself to others without embellishment. I focus on believing I am worthy and have something to bring to the world. I repeat the mantra that I love myself and others best by getting on with it, whether I'm feeling secure or not.
