DZUKANI: Online book (one chapter per week) Chapter 3 "Who are we?"

If you missed chapter two you can find it here...

Chapter 3

Who are we?

If life in a context is the driver of purpose then clearly this is a critical question. How we answer it will consequently have transformational implications for our purpose, our lives and those of the people we love.

I hope by now, you will be happy to accept that we are consciousness in flow, love in action. Our true nature is intelligent energy manifesting in the material world. Our energy is one with the energy of everything that is, flowing freely in the co-creation of the universe, guided by our experience of the world around us and beyond us. 

There is also no need, in my view, to turn to research for my next profound statement. Yes, there have been many people who have said this, including Dr Bruce Lipton, mentioned earlier. But the evidence is here with us and demonstrated every day of our lives in our own journeys and the journeys of others.

It is not who we are that determines our purpose – it is who we think we are and how we regard our world.

We only have to look around to see the truth of this statement. People who develop strengths and confidence in their own abilities and who care about others and the world around them tend to do amazing things. People who neglect their strengths, and succumb to limiting beliefs, tend to play small if they play at all. People who view the world as if it was an infinite resource to be used for their own greed will behave one way and those who see it as a precious ecosystem will tend to treat it accordingly.

Therefore this chapter is deliberately a voyage of personal discovery, comprising several activities. Apologies to those who may have read similar things by me or other authors previously or done some or all of these activities. You can choose how many of these activities you complete and at what point. The key thing is to arrive at the end of this chapter with a strong sense of you you are.

Activity

What do you care about?

Earlier I encouraged you to take a free personal values assessment at www.valuescentre.com/pva. If you did this, you will already have a good sense of your values. You may also have gleaned insight to your values if you completed the exercise on your priorities in the last chapter. However, sometimes another look at these things in response to a slightly different question can unlock something in our psyche. Make a list of the ten things you care most about.

Activity

What achievements are you most proud of?

Having completed the previous activity, it should be really easy to answer this second question. Most of us will be most proud of achievements we have made in support of things we care about. That is not to say there should be a one-on-one relationship.  There may be something we care deeply about that we haven’t yet taken action on. Conversely, we may have achieved many things in other categories. Make a note of as many of your achievements as spring to mind.

Activity

What are your greatest strengths?

Research has shown that we add the greatest value when we play to our strengths. Therefore, the last exercise may provide valuable clues regarding our greatest strengths. Another source of clues could be a strengths diagnostic like the Clifton Strengthsfinder or similar alternatives. However, it is also valid to simply ask ourselves the question, “What am I naturally good at?” We may of course find powerful clues in our list of achievements from the previous exercise.

It is worth pointing out here the difference between competence, talent and strength. This is something I devote a whole chapter to in “Designing the Purposeful Organization”. For now let me simply give you some quick descriptions:

Competence: our ability to do something to a required standard, like riding a bike from A to B without falling off or in order to pass a cycling proficiency test. It doesn’t mean we’re naturally good at it and if we’re not, it will almost certainly take us time and effort to achieve it.

Talent: something we’re naturally good at, probably because of our childhood experiences or inherited traits. We can tell when we have a talent, because it probably feels good to use it and it is easier for us to develop it than it would be for most other people.

Strength: a talent we have developed to the extent that it adds significant value to ourselves and others. It takes a lot of practice to turn a talent into a real strength, but if we weren’t naturally good at it in the first place, we would probably give up at an early stage.

The reason we are focusing on strengths here is that our strengths go a long way to define who we are and the purposes we naturally gravitate to in life.

Activity

What are the positive beliefs that guide you as a person?

We might again refer back to the priorities we defined in the previous chapter or to the things we care about we stated in the last but one exercise above. If there is something I care deeply about, I ask the question why is that so? Make a list below (or with your values statements) of your core beliefs.

Activity

Do you have negative beliefs that hold you back

Sadly not all our beliefs are positive. Most of us have some limiting beliefs that hold us back. I encourage you to list some of yours. You may find it helpful to do this with a friend who knows you well or with a coach. When you’ve made your list, ask yourself also what you would like to do to transform these beliefs. Again, working with a supporter may be really helpful. 

When you have completed this exercise, watch the following video which contains the now famous quote (used also by Nelson Mandela) “Our deepest fear” spoken by author Marianne Williamson: https://youtu.be/BIUMJ6rQCN8. 

Feel free to annotate your notes with any thoughts that this video prompts.

Activity

What opportunities do you have to serve the world?

We are all placed differently in our world, in different places and in different circumstances. We may have access to people, resources, experience or money that enables us to do things others could not. We may hold positions of power, influence or responsibility. Make a list of the special opportunities you have that could help you be of maximum service in and to the world.

Taking stock

The above exercises are just a starting point to help us focus on who we are. You may have other attributes you’d like to take stock of whilst in the mood for self-examination. When you have finished this work, take time to reflect on the amazing person you are.

Chapter review

1.    What are the three most powerful insights you will take away from this chapter?

2.    What are the three most powerful questions you will continue to explore?

3.    What would you like me to explore with you as I continue to write this book?

I would be delighted to hear from you with your responses to these questions.

I  invite you join me in the next chapter to explore the amazing world we live in. We will be asking the next big question, “How do we see our world?”