No matter what we do and who we are, I’m always fascinated with the varying amounts of possibilities out there.  Yet at the same time, there is an awful lot of things that become lost in:

*What people might think of us.

*Whether or not we can take the chance and actually make money at doing what we love.

*Whether people like us, or think we’re a friggin nut (especially those that know us).

*Whether or not we can actually do something with the many crazy yet fleeting ideas we have.

On the other hand, we’ve probably all failed at something in our lives at one point or another that… who we are is shaped more by the fear of what people think of us, than who we know we are – at our core.

A lot of things can add to this fear.

A relationship never worked out like we wanted (so we change ourself).  The job didn’t take us to where we wanted to go (so we change ourself).  We can’t get hired after God knows how many jobs we applied for (so we change ourself).

Pretty soon, we’re lost in who we truly are because we’ve changed ourselves every which way in just trying to survive “today’s economy” – and that’s not good.

We become confused.  Angry.  Bitter.  A pain in the ass to be around.

*Get back to knowing who you truly are.

Although it might seem a bit daunting and hard to do, it’s a lot easier than you think – because we know who we are by knowing who we are not.

Once you’re in touch with this, then you can do more of who you are, and less of who you are not.  The real problem lies where we do a lot of things that aren’t us (working a job we hate – which attracts people that don’t know who we really are).

And seriously, I know how difficult things can be at times.  I’ve been there.

I’ve worked many places that couldn’t give a rats ass that I do music.  I’ve worked many places that couldn’t give a rats ass that I write, have a blog, etc.  Here’s the thing though…

That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t do what I do.

People think that they need to be bar hopping friends with the people they work with. Why?  You don’t have to. A lot of people there, know who you are by the job you work, the pay that you get, and your job title – and why should we even care about that.

Think about it.  Are we pretending to be interested in something we don’t even care about just to fit into a place that isn’t us?

*Stop lying to yourself.

In 2006 my laptop died, I rented a room in some back house of an older ladies house (gosh… this sounds like another hokey pokey rags to riches story – but it’s not).

Basically, I almost gave up on music.  I was let go from another soul sucking job and I financed this iBook G4.  Then I tinkered with Garageband, and had an awakening.

I was finally able to do the music that I always wanted to do since day one.  The thing people have to understand though, is that in 1997 most musicians would have to pay thousands of dollars to do what I could do now for free – with just a laptop, guitar and keyboard.

And so I had some of the best reactions to the music I’ve been doing, because I stopped lying to myself.

I stopped defining myself by the situation I was in, admitting to myself that just because I might work another job back then to finance what I love doing, doesn’t mean that I suck at it.

*Admit to yourself that who you are and what you do has nothing to do with the money you’re making.

I remember it like it was clear as day.  Admitting to myself that I do music and write (Copywrite to be more specific).  Not only that, I also have a lot of unique and authentic products that seem to center around providing unique inspiration for individuals and businesses without the bullshit lacquer that people tend to put around things.

I don’t have to make a certain amount of money to prove to someone that this is what I do or have 20,000 followers, etc.  I just do it.  It’s what comes out at 4:30am or 1pm.  When I’m tweeting or when I’m talking with a new client.

I only do something with it because I feel I have to.  That’s really it.

I remember in my early days with my mentor I would email him just about every day asking him, “what do I do… what do I do.”  His response now is, “Do what you know to do.  And when you can do that, that it probably all that should be done.”

My problem lies when people know what to do, and they don’t do it. Then you lose who you are, constantly trying to figure out, “What do I do? What do I do?”

The thing is, we know who you are by what you do, not what you tell us.  So what do you do with who you are?

1 – Stop limiting yourself. I talked about this in a free eBook of mine called, “How Not To Be A Buttered Roll: Using Your Own Unique Recipe To Thrive Past The Masses.”  In short, I think we pigeon hole ourselves into thinking that we have to be one defined thing.

You’re either a “customer service rep.  A manager.  A musician.  A writer.  A ______.”

Forget your title (which most forward thinking companies abandoned).  It’s ok when someone asks you, “What do you do?”  And you say, “Well I get paid to be me” or say, “I just do what I do” or skirt it right back to them and say, “Well what do you do?”

2 – Inspiration comes at random times.  You’ll have to write things down or record it when things come to you. It’s hard because who wants to wake up from a comfortable nights sleep when we have a great idea come to us at 2:30 am? Not many people (and I certainly don’t like to a lot of times).  The thing is, you can’t control when the idea comes, but you can control when you capture it.

3  - Take baby steps towards it. Sometimes it can get overwhelming to listen to this person or that person to achieve certain things.

I’ll tell you, I didn’t think my first book would take 5 years to finish.  But whether most “successful” people want to admit it or not, they all take small incremental baby steps each day to move forward towards where they want to be.

I was recently reminded of this after releasing my new album, “Flight” in April 2010.

Many people don’t know it was actually done between 2006-2009 (while also creating another finished album that I hope to put out this year too).  If I’ve never done an album of music and set out to do six albums, it would probably be a lot more overwhelming to me than it really is.  I couldn’t do that.

All I do is play music when the inspiration comes.  I then collect the songs I like that sound like it will work together with an album concept and, it’s done.  I put out the album.

And quite honestly… some people think it’s wrong what I do.

They say, “How can you not read music or not go to school to get a degree in music and keep putting out your own albums that you record with minimal equipment in your bedroom?  How come you don’t use that pedal on the bottom of a piano when you play?  How can you make an album without using ‘Pro-Tools?’ How can you mix, produce and play all the instruments without the proper education or training or knowing whether or not it’s all done the right way?”

The same way most things are done… because it just feels right.

So that’s really it.  This is what you do with who you are.  It’s an organic process of letting yourself be you, capturing ideas when they come, being honest with your true self, and doing something with that honesty.  Pretty simple (but also a bit difficult at times).

Quick Info: As a unique and edgy professional Jared Matthew Kessler has an undeniable belief that one person (no matter how big or how small), can make a HUGE impact. This same principal resonates through “Moving Mountains,” because it’s not just the name of his company… it’s been his way of life. To find out more, signup now for his free newsletter and get cool free unconventional insights to UNnumb the workday and UNBORIFY your life. However, if you feel more comfortable subscribing to the email feed, you are welcome to do that as well.  Not only that, if you want to get REALLY crazy you can hire Jared  for your next project or two.

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