Who Are You-Do You Know Who You Really Are?

To everything-turn, turn, turn

There is a season-turn, turn, turn

And a time to every purpose under heaven”

          – Turn, Turn, Turn-The Byrds-1965

We can’t return we can only look behind from where we came and go round and round in the circle game”

          – The Circle Game-Joni Mitchell

Time it was and what a time it was, it was

A time of innocence, a time of confidences

Long ago, it must be, I have a photograph

Preserve your memories, they’re all that’s left you”

         – Old Friends/Bookends-Simon & Garfunkel

It’s not what I am but what I do that defines me”

          – Batman Begins-2005

TIME AND THE PASSING THEREOF along with our places in time. From the moment we wake until the moment we lay down to go to sleep we forlornly ask ourselves Who Are You followed by the question Do You Really Know Who You Are? You drift into sleep only to wake the next morning forgetting you posed these questions to yourself.

As the alarm clock abruptly alerts you that a new day has arrived. You stagger out of bed to begin the process of becoming who you are. The who you are during working hours replete with all the roles you have to play. Is this who you are?

The day ends at the precise time it usually ends. You climb into your car or hop on a train to begin your journey home. Who is waiting for you at the end of your journey? Is it your wife, your wife and children, a pet or perhaps a “significant other.” You arrive at your destination having completed your nightly journey. Who Are You or perhaps more accurately Who Are You Now? Do You Really Know Who You Are?

Day upon day the process repeats itself. Unknowingly the questions that you unconsciously ask yourself weigh heavier on your mind demanding an answer only you can give. This is the struggle to define is the person you at work who you are, is it the person you are at home who you are, is it the person when you are alone who you are? Do you really know who you are?

Characters in movies are usually quickly and pretty well defined. It’s not hard to figure out if they are the good guy or the bad guy or somebody in between. You may not know how the movie will end but as the scenes develop into a climax right before the final scene you may be able to figure out the conclusion.

Life, as we know, is not that simple. We are taken on many different paths that lead to many other paths after that. In order to find our “place” it is imperative we have a strong sense of who we are in total. How can you look to give something of emotional importance to somebody that involves giving a piece of yourself if you don’t know who you are or who you really are?

When you live your professional life as a recruiter you have to take on the persona of an amateur psychologist. What makes this person tick? Is the real person the one that appears on a resume or somebody else entirely. This takes us back to my original theme of Who Are You/Do You Really Know Who You Are/

As I put the finishing touches on this article I want you to take a few moments to search deeply within yourselves to see what answers you come up with to the two questions in the title of this article. Look over each answer carefully several times over. Before you make your final determinations take yet another look inside yourself. Upon conclusion of this exercise (repeat it as often as you feel is necessary to feel confident in your answers) compare each response and see where you end up. I would love to hear from you as to what you came up with. Remember there is no right or wrong answer.