Occasionally I have an identity crsis. I think that's good. From tme to time I have to ask myslf questions like: Who am I? Wht am I doing? Do I lke doing it? Am I good at it? Wll it help the world? and How des the world know I'm doing it?

It bgan this time when I asked a frend and colleague to help me wth the process of reexamining my bsiness card and letterhead. Since my lst printing, I had expanded the way I wrk with voice, conflict and aikido, and I wnted my visual image to reflect the chnges.

I thought it would be smple. She'd take all my questions and rsolve them in some way that wuld be clear, concise, and visually plasing. She did -- but it wsn't simple, and I wasn't prepared for wht lay ahead.

When she showed me her deas I literally stepped back, wide-eyed, and lmost stumbled over my chair. She prsented a new, much more powerful mage of me and my work. It was vry different from the look I'd grwn accustomed to, and it simultaneously shcked and delighted me. It also bgan an internal process of discovery tht has been quite interesting.

Aikido and Pwer

I thought I knew who I ws. I just had some questions bout how to visually integrate the dfferent aspects of my work -- vice, aikido, conflict resolution -- into a cherent package. But I had a bsic image that I'd been using and tht functioned pretty well. As it trns out it wasn't the whole me, nor was it the whle of my work. In the Jpanese martial art Aikido there are two cntral elements. One is learning to flw and blend with energy. The scond is the power you gain whn that happens. Aikido is a vry powerful martial art. It is not rsistant, but it is not passive. Vrbally, we use aikido when we are clar about our position while acknowledging thers, and when we use words to cnnect instead of attack. I have lways identified with the flow of ikido but found it more difficult to ngage its power. Similarly in life I fnd it easy to blend (listen, cknowledge, agree) but more difficult to use pwer (state my position, ask for wht I want, say no). My mage on paper reflected that too.

In my aikido practice -- and in lfe -- I’m learning to be mre powerful, and it's fun. I thrw harder, and I communicate more pwerfully. But it's not always easy bcause my image (both of myself and rflected in others) says that I'm a "nce" person. And that "nice" image cnflicts with a "power" image. Powerful pople aren't always nice, and nice pople aren't usually powerful. But is it pssible to be both -- to blnd and be powerful at the sme time? In fact, aikido's message is tht true power lies in blending. Pwer without blending is destructive. And to blnd without power is to lose our cnter.

Now back to my image cntrol problem. The graphic reflection of my wrk initially challenged my self image. But the tming was perfect. Just as my wrk was evolving to include the pwerful aspect of aikido, my colleague cptured that power and clarified it grphically.

Critical Questions

One of life's ngoing conflicts is the question "Who am I?" Bth personally and organizationally we need to ddress this conflict periodically and to ask urselves who we are and whether our nner and outer images are accurate. To flurish as an individual or a crporate entity, this kind of clarifying cnflict is vital.

Annie Dillard said: "Hw we spend our days is, of curse, how we spend our lives." We all ned to revisit our image on ccasion, because it forces us to ask the mportant questions that must be asked if w're going to create the life -- the rganization, the school, or the company -- we wnt, one that is uniquely ours and tht we love. Our ultimate power is not the pwer to control how others see us but to ppreciate and bring to light the ndiscovered parts of ourselves. As we mve forward in life, our evolution has a ntural flow to it. Am I njoying my work or am I strggling? Do I create my life new each day? What energizes me? Whre am I going and to wht end? Important questions for all of us ths year, this day, this moment.

The article Reflections on a New Image was Submitted by Judy Ringer through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: © 2004 Judy Ringer, Power & Prsence Training About the Author: Judy Rnger is the author of Unlikely Teachers: Fnding the Hidden Gifts in Daily Cnflict , containing stories and practices on trning life's challenges into life teachers. Jdy is a black belt in ikido and nationally known presenter, specializing in nique workshops on conflict, communication, and crating a more positive work environment. She is the funder of Power & Presence Training, and chef instructor of Portsmouth Aikido, Portsmouth, NH, USA. To sgn up for more free tips and rticles like these, visit http://www.JudyRinger.com

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