You have two ordinary gifts: your name and your word. Your name or brand is what is attached to the thought people have when you enter or leave a room. Your unique attirbutes are associated with who you are. If you think of your name as an advertisement, would it describe what you are selling? If someone wants to talk to you, do you know what product they expect to get in return?
Your word is your bond with others. Ordinarily, your ability to be trusted is a part of the buzz about you. The skinny on whether you can be relied on is based on how you react to actual real-life dealings. You can measure your bond rating by thinking about how often you are asked to be a secret-keeper and how you treat the confidences of those who need to disclose information to you.
In my high school, there were five girls named Nancy who attended at the same time I did. One even had the exact same first and last name, but she was in a higher grade and luckily there was little contact or confusion. After I graduated and got my first real job, I rented an apartment with one of the other Nancys from high school. We never got confused with each other because we were physically different but we had fun sharing a name because we got invited everywhere together. Yes, the Nancys. The other Nancy was more outgoing than I was and more popular, but I enjoyed riding her social coattails. My brand was the quieter friend and safer companion and resulted in my getting invited to more parties I may have had access to on my own. The status suited my personality while I experienced more entertainment than I may have alone. Our brands were named the same, but we were unique. Our names provided a strong bond originally, but our friendship ended up building a much stronger connection because we relied on each other to be there. Trust was the foundation and we remained friends even after we moved apart.
As the CEO of you, what are you ordinarily doing to become more you? Are you the one who hears the confidential whispers of others? Take two minutes to determine how to improve the ordinary thought of you. Take yourself out of the box.
