What Color Is Your Parachute?

Know then thyself,
Do not the Market scan
Until you’ve surveyed all You are—
Then you will have your plan.

Most job-hunters who fail to find their dream job, fail not because they lack sufficient information about the job-market, but because they lack sufficient information about themselves.

WHO ARE YOU?

At this point—being human—our first instinct is to protest that we already know loads of information about ourselves. After all, we’ve lived with ourselves all these years. We surely know who we are, by now, don’t we?

Maybe. Maybe not. So, let’s test that premise. How well do you know yourself? Let’s do a little exercise:

1. Take ten sheets of blank paper. Write, at the top of each one, just these three words: Who Am I?

2. Then write, on each sheet in turn, just one answer to that question. And only one.

3. When you’re done, go back over all ten sheets and expand now upon what you have written on each sheet. Looking at each answer, write below it, why you said that, and what turns you on about that answer.

4. When finished with all ten sheets, go back over them and arrange them in order of priority. That is, which identity is the most important to you? That page goes on top. Then, which is next? That goes immediately underneath the top one. Continue arranging the rest of the sheets in order, until what you think is your least important identity is at the bottom of the pile.

5. Finally, go back over the ten sheets, in order, and look particularly at your answer, on each sheet, to What Turns Me On About This?

See if there are any common denominators, or themes, among the ten answers you gave. If so, jot them down on a separate piece of paper. Voila! You have begun to put your finger on some things that your dream job or career, vocation, mission, or whatever, needs to give you if you are to feel truly excited, fulfilled, useful, effective, and operating at the height of your powers.

Here is how one woman did this exercise:

Who am I?

1. A woman

2. Esoteric

3. Nature dweller

4. People person

5. Creative

6. A traveler

7. Worldly wise

8. Inquisitive/investigative

9. Troubleshooter

10. Manager/leader

What turns you on about the above?

1. Ever-changing, emotion, caring, warm, loving and giving. Strong stock, independent, sexy, magnetic. Mother and teacher. Survivor, activist, unique, and creative.

2. For the love of the mystical, healing of self and the spirit, human sciences and Mother Nature.

3. Where I am happiest for the peace and wondrous beauty of the world and miracles created each and every day. Seasons change, colors, and aromas. Joy of knowing the healing powers of a peaceful and idyllic universe, pure and unsolved.

4. The love of humor and socializing. Being a friend, sharing wisdoms, and helping when in need. Where we can teach and be teached as reflections of each other. To be carried and carry on our journey as we are all one.

5. The appreciation of art, music, literature. To play with your imagination, relaxing and shutting off. To create with different mediums that are fun, exciting, and produce an unknown outcome.

6. Comfortable in facing the unknown with acceptance before I arrive.

7. Knowledge of own wisdom through tragedy, love, travel.

8. Gaining knowledge and understanding through intense questioning and action.

9. To be able to assess a situation, take the bull by the horns, and turn it around. Self-satisfaction and passion seeing the momentum turn to the positive. Mother Theresa.

10. Being an example to others in whatever you do. When good is not good enough and pushing forward. Individual and creative.

Any common denominators? Various creative situations that are new to gain knowledge of the unknown through travel, esoteric/nature, arts, people.

What must my career use (and include) for me to be truly happy, useful, and effective?

Investigation using creativity in an esoteric or environment field with people of like-mindedness. Human sciences/Environmental studies/Journalist/Presenter/Traveling/People.

Now, if this exercise was easy for you, then you do indeed know a lot about yourself. But if it was harder than you thought it would be, then you see there is work to be done.

You need to know more about who you are.

The Three Secrets to Finding Out More About Who You Are

The late Barbara B. Brown, who was the first to bring biofeedback to the public’s awareness back in 1974, with her groundbreaking book (at the time) New Mind, New Body, once said, at a public lecture I attended, that brain scientists like herself had discovered there were three things you can do, that greatly facilitate such decision making.

1. Put everything you know about yourself, on one piece of paper. Jot down anything and everything that occurs to you about yourself. Write small. Very small. Or use a big sheet of paper. Call it “That One Piece of Paper.”

2. Also, put some kind of graphic on that piece of paper, in order to organize the information about yourself. A graphic—any graphic—keeps “That One Piece of Paper” interesting, and not just a cloud of words and spaces.

3. Prioritize all this information, when you have finished gathering it. Put it in its order of importance to you.

Select out the top ten things about yourself that you consider most important; not “marketable”—just