Who Were You Before the World Told You Who to Be?

This past week, as part of the training program I’m in on Positive Intelligence, I did a visualization exercise to reconnect with my Essence—my True Self.

My Essence is the part of me that has been there since the moment I was born and will remain until the end of my life.

Our Essence is constant. It doesn’t shift with time, achievements, or outside expectations. It’s inherently worthy of unconditional love. But along the way, we are shaped by experiences, by the world around us, and by the messages telling us who we should be.

This exercise was about remembering who I am underneath all of that.

The visualization led me to a photo of myself as a child—one that instantly evoked love. I sat with it, reflecting on the words that capture my essence: bold, creative, curious, confident, and fun.

Then, I looked in the mirror. And I could see it—my Essence was still there.

It made me wonder: How can I bring these qualities into my day, my business, and my life in an even bigger way?

I don’t have the full answer yet. But looking at that photo reminded me of how I tackled things as a kid, how I showed up, how I took up space before I ever internalized the messages telling me to behave otherwise.

Even without doing the full visualization, there’s power in simply looking at a photo of yourself as a child and recognizing the essence of who you were before the world told you who to be. Try it. You may surprise yourself with what you see and just how much of that little version of you still exists within you today.

I believe we have the power to create ourselves and our lives. And I believe that the qualities we’ve carried from the very beginning are the ones that can help us shine—if only we remember they’re there.