Who do you think you are?
Notice your answer. "I'm a salesperson." "I'm a computer analyst." Maybe if you had been Jean Nidetch you might have said, "I am an overweight housewife from new Jersey."
Who you truly are is not what you do or how you see your role in life. You are not what you perceive as your limitations. And, who you are is not the person who acts as they "should" in order to be accepted or successful.
Authentic Self - Uniquely You
Who you are is Authentic Self - The unique and wonderful combination of skills, talents and wisdom, that is fulfilled in sharing your gifts with others.
Your Authentic self doesn't need to be created, it already is. It doesn't need improving, it is already perfect. What your authentic self needs is your choice to access and express it in the world.
Billion Dollar Choice
"It's choice, not chance, that determines your destiny," said Jean
Nidetch, the overweight housewife from New Jersey. Constantly
struggling with an excess weight problem, she chose to see herself not
just as a "fat person," but as someone who was creating health by creating a
support system for those who had a similar problem. She chose to see
the big picture, to see the issues as bigger than her, no pun intended.
She chose to express herself authentically in service to others.
At a time when support groups were non-existent and the self-help movement was unknown, Nidetch formed support groups to give people a weekly opportunity to talk honestly to her about their weight problem. In May 1963, at a trim 142 pounds, she incorporated her business and rented a loft in Queens to hold the first public Weight Watchers meeting. She was shocked when 400 people arrived that morning.
In the 36 years since, more than 37 million worldwide have enrolled in the Weight Watchers program, which went public in 1968. In 1978, after 15 years of phenomenal growth, Weight Watchers was sold to H.J. Heinz Co. Today, Weight Watchers International, Inc., is a billion dollar business, with 44,000 employees in 24 countries.
Find Your Voice Through Choice
You do not have to create a billion dollar business to be complete. You
may find the most fulfilling expression of your authentic self is being
an authentic housewife in New Jersey. The key to your contentment is
choice. Acknowledge your power to choose. Go beyond waiting for a
chance or being a victim to circumstance. Choose what is most
purposeful for you now and again. As you consciously make choices that
are consistent with your purpose and values you turn up the volume of
the voice for authentic self within you. Then, with certainty, you will
express the voice we are all ready to hear.
Joseph Liberti
Copyright 1998-2007 Joseph Liberti. All rights reserved. Joseph Liberti coaches leaders and coaches to liberate authentic self through the development of emotional intelligence. Feel free to copy and distribute this article as long as you keep this credit. For more tips on developing emotional intelligence visit Joseph's other blog EQ Tips
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