Applying Your Whole Self - Using Your Self-Context

The most critical set of beliefs we hold are the ones we have about ourselves.  Many studies have shown that our thoughts and beliefs drive our perceptions, our choices, our actions, and therefore, our very experience of reality.  I’ve always enjoyed Henry Ford’s quote on this phenomenon:  “Believe you can, or believe you can’t; either way, you will be right.”

Most successful professionals find that a strong sense of themselves drives their ability to coordinate the efforts of their team, department, or project.  Providing leadership to others is based on the relationship we have with ourselves. Traditionally, this has been referred to as self-esteem, or an accurate self-concept.  Another approach is to look at and utilize your self-context to aid you in bringing forth the best you have to offer.

Self-Context focuses our beliefs

Rather than focus solely on our present perception about who we are (otherwise known as self-concept) I see our identities being defined by a balance between our past, our present, and what we sense about our future—where we have, and will, fit into the world. I use the word self-context to indicate how we determine the meaning of who we are--inclusive of where we came from and where we are going.

People can look at their self-context in terms of their family life, professional settings, or a much larger perspective spanning the lifetimes of your ancestors to your children’s children.  Understanding, and perhaps, redefining your self-context can make a tremendous difference on your perspective of a given situation or problem. It is extremely useful in situations involving career decisions, such as interviewing, individual development planning and evaluating promotion opportunities.

Seeing Your Self-Context
When we expand our view to see the present moment as being attached to where we’ve been and where we are going, then we see the context in which today exists.

Our personal past

Today

Where we see ourselves headed in the future

                                  Passage of Time

Context as defined by the big red dictionary on my shelf, is “that which leads up to and follows and often specifies the meaning of a particular expression.”  If you consider your identity as a “particular expression”, then self-context unfolds to help define our own sense of meaning. It begs the questions: “How do I see myself in relation to that which I have experienced?” “How do I want to be in relation to what is going on right here and now?” and  “What future can I imagine for myself?

Understanding your own self-context:

Your Present
A simple method to gain clarity about your own self context is to “name this time”. Encapsulate the theme of this period in your life.  What is it about?  What is it time for now?  Is this the time of “diving into work to gain as much experience as possible in your field” or “learning to balance hard work with a full family life” or “preparing for my next career”?  See if you can come up with a clear, concise statement about what this time in your life represents for you.  

Your Past
Looking to the left on the continuum, how did you get to this point?  How would you describe succinctly where you’ve been?    Try finishing this sentence…”Until this point in my life, I have been……”   Be sure to look at that past in a positive, supportive light.  As if you were describing it objectively about a friend.  This is not the time for the self-critic. Nor is it the time for what others have told us about ourselves.   Be compassionate with your past.  A couple of examples:
“In the past, I have been focused on building technical excellence in my field, gaining great depth in a specialized area.”
“Until this point in my career, I have been absorbing many different experiences, and integrating them to find my natural talents.
“Up to this point in my life, I have focused on taking care of others”

Your Future
How would you describe where you are headed in your career?  Are you on your way to greater responsibility?  What type?  Are you changing direction, getting more depth, breadth or experience in new content areas?  What do you wish you could do? 
See if you can capture a one-sentence description of your plans and hopes.

I find many people get stuck when they start to think about their future.  There are a host of issues this brings up for people from disappointment or disenchantment with their previous plans, to feeling too old, or too young, or just plain lost.  I find it it helpful to try to put those issues aside for a few minutes and connect deeper within yourself to listening to what is genuine for you.  As David Whyte describes it, listen to the  “the part of us that knows where we belong.”

No matter how your inner hopes and dreams sound to your oh-so-rational-mind, relish them, and give them more weight than the voices you hear from any other source. Our uniqueness shines through in our work, in our daily decisions, and in the events that become turning points in our lives. The Grand inner voices can directly impact the choices we make, helping us find the choice that is right for us.  

Modifying your self Context

The beauty of your self-context is that it is not static—it can grow as you grow. One source of change is the actions you take.  New options lead to new actions, which in turn generate a change in your self-context. This change leads again to new actions, which is a wonderful cycle of growth and development. 

Call to Action

Pull together the Past, Present and Future ideas about yourself into one statement that you can share with others.   Fill out the following prompts, and modify to create a sentence or two that suit you.

In the past I have been…

Right Now I am...

Because, in the future I hope to...

All together these three perspectives form a statement of your “self-context.”  Try sharing it in a situation where someone needs to quickly understand an overview of “who you are” in order to assist you with your goals such as in a job interview, professional development planning session, or networking event.

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