Do Not See Yourself as Others See You

Courtesy of Farzana Haque at the Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business 2013 Conference

All too often it is the case that we conform to the labels that others give us, without our permission. If someone tells you that you're crazy, well, sooner or later, you start believing you really are cuckoo, even when you are perfectly sane. The American Psychological Association labels this as Inappropriate Prescribing when specifically dealing with patient-doctor care (Smith, 2012).  Whether in a doctor's office or in the board room, it is extremely important to know when to take others prescriptions seriously and when to forgo them all-together.

Personally, I have always gotten a kick out of breaking stereotypes of what others see me as. I love being a girly girl, but enjoy four-wheeling out in the mud with my younger brother. I have an appreciation for the city and the country. Further, I love to bake, but I do not see myself in the kitchen all day long, quite yet. If I did, that would be excellent, but that is not the case at this point in time.  

Yet, when others see me in my high heels and a dress, do they see me leading a business? Maybe yes, maybe no. But, the fact of the matter is, it does not matter.  As Farzana Haque, Global Head - Large Accounts at SBU at Tata Consultancy Services, highlights in the above video from the Harvard Undergraduate Women in Business Conference, "You have no control over what people view you as, at first. But, the impression that you leave them with is what matters." 

Therefore, the world would be a better place if those people with disadvantages of what others first see them as would just stop whining and start doing. Yes, this is easier said than done. But, in the end, it only matters how you see yourself, because if you have the right confidence, then others will begin to see that. Recognize that others will peg you wrong all of the time, but proving them wrong is a much greater satisfaction, anyway.