This year you will hear me banging on about being congruent - a critical dimension of self-empowerment.  It means being who you say you are and doing what it takes to be your best self - in essence it is about being 'on purpose'. 

And you know when you are not being congruent.  You feel an underlying sense of unease - that NQR feeling (or it might even be an overwhelming sense of distress!).  You might be in a job or an organisation that does not allow you to express your true self, or use your full range of skills. You might be making decisions or promoting 'lines' that you don't believe in.  You could be feeling undervalued and/or overwhelmed. 

Now matching your ideal and your real self is obviously a whole lot easier than it sounds.  There are myriad pressures that stop you fro being who you really want to be.  Unrealistic employers expectations, organisational culture, demanding family members, lack of money, lack of skill, lack of opportunity. 

Since starting my own 'thought leading' practice, I have been able to live a much more congruent life than ever before.  I do work I love, with people who value it and in ways that truly showcase and grow my strengths.  Now of course there will always be those bits that I must do but don't like to.  These bits are like my spinach - not especially tasty or interesting, but hardly even noticeable amongst all the other exciting dishes. 

A key step toward congruence is distilling who your best self is. Surprisingly few people really know who they might be at their very best.  For many they are so busy leading everyone else's lives, they loose themselves in the process.  Others simply do not believe that such aspirations are realistic - they have no choice - they just fit in. 

While I emphasise, I also understand that until you start believing it is possible for your ideal and real selves to co-exist, you will never know what your purpose or potential could have been.

What do you think?