top of page
Writer's pictureMuzammil Hussain

Who Am I?

Ever thought about it? They say "re-imagine" to make things better. Why not "introspect" and "re-imagine" ourselves, to know the "Real Me"!


Word of caution: This piece may appear confusing or against the rationale, but, it is Okay. Try giving it a read; it may make you think.


Self “Introduction” is a part and parcel of our lives, especially in a professional setting. Be it introducing to a new colleague, a new senior, or a new peer in college, we often have to talk about ourselves; rather say about our “credentials” or what we have done. The content varies contextually. Essentially, it varies with the different roles that we play in each setting – office, college, at home, with friends, or outside with strangers. But, one thing that remains common throughout in the introduction to someone meeting for the first time – we mention our name, some reference to a person or place or organization, and most often we mention our profession.

I request you to have patience and don’t start thinking, “What is the point of all this?”

I also agree that it is normal to introduce to people as per the context.


But, can we take a pause and think about something – in the process of framing our introductions to different sets of people, listing our roles or credentials or achievements, etc, are we losing sight of who we really are? Is it that our true self is buried under a big pile of (worldly) attributes, like a paper under a huge pile? For some time, let us try to detach ourselves from our titles, our degrees, our relationships, our achievements, etc, and, picture each of these attributes as a different clone of self, among which there is also one blank clone, that is, the "Real Me". Imagine standing in front of this clone or in front of a mirror looking at your true self, who has no identification – no name, no place, no degree, no title, no relation, nothing. You will find a beautiful, peculiar, and curious person standing. Now, start merging each attribute (clone) one by one with the “real” blank clone – first a name, then a place, thereafter a relation, then a degree, a hobby, and so on. While some of it (are) were not in our control to decide, many (are) were. So, with the addition of each attribute, think whether it fits you and whether you wanted it. You would be surprised at the result – while some might prove to be a fit, many will have deviations from what you actually want(ed). There you are, knowing yourself better! Now that I know the gap, I can try to fill it in the best possible way. And I firmly believe that unless I am convinced about me being myself, there will always be a “missing link” or a disconnect between me and the people I connect with. This doesn’t mean that I do not follow the contextual introduction technique, but, at the back of my mind I (should) always have the focus to be convinced; because at the end of the day:



37 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page