My view on Doing vs. Being

We tend to place a lot of value on “what someone does” – the job they have, the work they do, the activities they complete. Don’t get me wrong, those things are important. 

But “who someone is” – how they show up, the way they are, the character they display tends to be underrated, and in my opinion is at least as important.

It’s not usually something we consciously think about…

“Who do you need to be in this situation?” is admittedly an awkward question that trips up most clients, especially at first.

…But there is no doubt that our “being” has tremendous impact.

Consider any memorable interaction you had this week (or at any time, really) – what made it stick with you?

I know that for me, it often has more to do with how the person showed up (for better or worse).

The cool thing is that as humans, we get to decide.

I’m deciding to do […fill in the action], and I’m also deciding to be […fill in the characteristic].

This works in tough situations too. My experience and observations have shown that when we focus on our “being” as well as on our “doing”, not only do we usually feel better, we actually get better results.

Do you agree?

Love to hear what you think.