One of my favorite exercises to do is called “I AM”.

Write it down, and then add your own words after.

For example:

I am…stubborn.

I am somebody that will tell a person exactly what I want from them and our relationship—whether that is personal, work-related, friendly, or intimate.

Not only will I tell them what I want and need in a relationship, but if they don’t do it, I will tell them again, and I will tell them again, and usually I’ll tell them again in a nice way.

If she’s my lover, I’ll tell her gently what I need, and how much I love it when she does it.

If it’s an employee, I will tell them in a pep-talk. But if I have to give an impassioned Knute Rockne “Win one for the Gipper” speech too often, then the relationship ends.

Because I am always looking for people that are like me.

Don’t get me wrong though, I love learning from people, but I like people who are like me. I like people who think like me because then I can get more done.

I love productivity. I am somebody that craves that. I am somebody that needs that.

I AM productivity.

You all know what your I AM is. Can you look yourself right in the mirror and state exactly who you are? Can you do that in every relationship? Can you state your needs, wants, and desires?

I am an amazing, fun person to be around. But I am somebody that doesn’t like to fight. So if I end up fighting and battling my partner in a relationship, I am somebody that ends that relationship.

I wanted to put this out there because I want all of you to do your own I am exercise. I want you to write down exactly what you are, so then when someone’s involved with you, whether for work, play, or romance, they’re not shocked if it doesn’t work out—you’ve stated what you want and expect.

I think we all need to know who we are, because the more we know who we are, the better we can treat ourselves. The better we treat ourselves, the more successful our relationships are going to be.

There are going to be some tough moments in your life. There are going to be some friendships you’ll need to end, and some jobs you need to quit. So it’s best to be honest with yourself, because otherwise, people will walk all over you. And if they walk all over you, they’re not going to respect you and you’re not going to respect yourself.

I am people tend to make tougher decisions. They don’t go with the flow. They go with their principles.

. . .

I want you to do your I am exercises today and share one of them in the comments below 

Who are you?