Mirror, mirror, who am I?

Who am I? What drives me? How do I think and operate? What do I want to become?  … as an innovation and research professional when I ponder on these questions over time, I realize that …

My mind is always bubbling with ideas of what could be, should be, would be. I am always thinking about why and why not: why things are this way and or how they could be better or why not this other way.

• No surprise there. Per Strength Finder Assessment by Tom Rath my #1 strength is “IDEATION” and per Deloitte’s Business Chemistry Assessment my top persona is “PIONEER”

Success stories of people, companies, and initiatives inspire me. The possibilities and opportunities present in the current context motivate me and I am driven by growth and personal development.

• I have numerous role models that I try to learn from, follow, and mimic. At times I simply get inspired by them and get in a state of nostalgia or a dream state. Yes, I am a dreamer too – unfortunately, I stay there for a little too long! The list of my inspiration keeps on growing and top spots keep on morphing with time. My current role models are John Lee Dumas, Dean Graziosi, Pat Flynn, and Tim Ferris.

I get in a super energy state when I am helping others, inspiring others, and working with others on something valuable and impactful. I remember numerous such instances when I was in that perfect FLOW state. A few instances worth mentioning …

• I have been thinking of creating an online course for over several years on the topic of Design Thinking (one of my strong skillsets.) I worked on several versions of it and presented and facilitated it at many events. But could not stay in the flow state to complete it. Interestingly, when a new friend Christine Duross showed deep interest in what I have to offer I got super excited to help her by teaching, coaching, and applying it to her business. I was focused, excited, and inspired to help her and stayed on course for 8 consecutive weeks without a break. That staying in the flow zone helped me in providing my best ever service and as an unintentional consequence I ended up creating the Business Accelerator Course -that I was contemplating for years.

When I look at my top drivers, personality traits, and mindset: ideation, drive for success, and inspiring and helping others, I realize that I am an entrepreneur at heart and at the core: an individual who is inspired by a
pain, a dissatisfaction, a frustration, an unfulfilled need, or a want in the  marketplace and works to fulfill it.

What drives you? What occupies you? When are you in the flow-zone?