Defining Yourself

July 20, 2007

ID-10092754We’re defined by our families, our social status, our looks, our ethnicity, etc. Aside from all of the definitions, baggage and expectations put on us by others, who are we?

From Employee to Business Owner

Making the transition from employee to self-employed has been quite a process. My expectations and beliefs about myself have also gone through a transformation. I’ve always been defined by my work, my title, my paycheck — who am I when those things are not set by some company’s org chart?

If you have a business, you can’t sit there waiting for a manager to tell you what to do next. You have to make the decisions and trust that they are the right ones for you. Some decisions are huge, others may seem less important to the life of the business.

Whether I call myself the “CEO,” the “President” or the “Owner” may not seem like a big deal. Yet, for me it was. I was uncomfortable thinking of myself as a president or CEO. My perception of the kind of person who has that title did not line up with how I saw myself.

How are You Being Defined?

Being independent as a business owner has led to my releasing a lot of stuff that had nothing to do with who I am. “Stuff” that was put on me to define me as a worker in a particular industry, or a person with a certain level of education or income. I didn’t realize how deep those definitions went until I set out to make a major change in my life.

What I’ve learned is that when I define myself, there are no limitations.

There’s a lot of power in that.

Image courtesy of stockimages / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Deborah A Bailey

Deborah is a writer, writing workshop presenter and published author. She's host of the Women Entrepreneurs Radio podcast.

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