Are you being true to yourself…

I grew up on a small dairy farm in Tennessee with seven siblings and had so many childhood experiences, good and bad.

I was challenged by life itself when at 15 the family moved to what I called “a city life with no morals”.  It was actually the suburbs outside of Richmond, Virginia and a major cultural change for a Tennessee farming family

At 17 I was in the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech with students from all walks of life where everyone just seemed to be looking out for themselves.

In 1975 I started my first job as a scientist and conservationist with National Forests in an all forester organization that did not want or respect scientists.

I worked my way up through ranger districts, forests, and regions and landed a position in headquarters as a program manager.

I received many battle scars along the way.  But, throughout my life I’ve tried to be true to myself. I am still trying today.

For me, being true to yourself in life, and in business means:

-accepting yourself for who you really are, and not pretending to be someone else;

-respecting yourself so that others will sense you are strong and capable of standing up for what you believe in, what you value;

-expressing yourself in a way that broadens the experiences and perspectives of others;

-being sincere, open minded, and fair when dealing with people; and

-making decisions about those things you really should make for yourself.

I hope every day you are working on being true to yourself.