BYOAS (Bring Your Own Authentic Self)
Last week, my spouse and I went on vacation for the first time in over a year. If you’d told me a decade ago that I’d become a mountain-vacation person, I’d have laughed in your face. But the pandemic led me to a type of solitude that I enjoy, one in the middle of nature, where all I hear are birds and bugs. This time, there were no accidental mountain-climbing excursions, just a lot of sitting on the screened-in porch, drinking wine in the middle of the day.
On our last trip to Shenandoah, my spouse and I went on a short, easy hike along the Appalachian Trail. Ours was the only car around for what felt like miles, so I was nervous as we crossed the road, onto the trail. I finally got myself to be present, enjoying the breeze blushing my face, when I heard a booming in the distance.
“What’s that sound?” I asked my spouse, who, of course, asked, “What sound?”
“That booming,” I said. “It sounds like a car radio playing heavy bass.”
We both stopped, looking around as if we would be able to see anything other than trees; the trailhead was pretty far behind us. I leaned in, like that would help. And it did—the “booming,” I quickly discovered, was my heart beating.
We’d come to a place so quiet, I could hear my own heart beating, and the intensity of it in this unadulterated space surprised me.
I’ve come to think of the vacation version of myself as the most authentic version of myself. Out on the trails, I don’t have an agenda or anything to prove. There are no external voices trying to influence me (except maybe my spouse, suggesting burgers for dinner after the hike). I feel completely comfortable and allow myself to be supported, with gratitude to the staff of anywhere I stay. In the mountains, the only voices I hear are my own and that of the birds, and I allow myself to be pleasantly surprised by the rhythm of my heart beating.
I have decided to bring this self to my work, to live each day knowing that I am perfectly supported, that I have nothing to prove, and that the only voice that matters is my own (and maybe my spouse’s, suggesting burgers for dinner). I anticipate the boon this will be for me, freedom I’ll feel, the curiosity, the creativity.
What is the truest version of yourself? How can you bring it in your meetings with LPs, or even in your DDQ? Click reply and let me know. I want to hear from you.
And speaking of DDQs, join me next week for our Dominate Your DDQ Workshop, in which I put both my strategic advisor and author hats on to give you actionable feedback on your questionnaire responses. I look forward to seeing you there!