Long ago, my mother was called to the school office to account for my strange actions. I politely stood up in class and lectured the teacher about changing directions without notifying anyone. Our classroom had raised so much money for the purchase of a hamster, food and related paraphernalia that he decided he was the best one to decide what to do with the surplus funds. Being all of seven years old, I told him on no uncertain terms that the donors and the fundraisers were in a much better position to determine where the excess funds should go since they were the ones who had contributed and or done the work in the first place.

The teacher told Mom that I was a scary little girl. Mom asked him to please explain which part of my lecture was wrong.

Fifteen years later, with a solid three-month stretch of experience in corporate office politics, I wrote a four-page memo to my colleagues, my boss and his boss, explaining that their daily shenanigans and poor communication were getting in the way of the entire team’s efficiency and effectiveness. I outlined the better way forward and hand-delivered my note. The boss’ boss called me into his office a few days later. He told me he agreed with everything I wrote and that I could become someone powerful one day. And to please, in future, keep my opinions to myself because pretty young ladies with strong opinions scare the bejeezus out of men. Yeah, in those days, I was the token woman, making the token 65 cents on the male dollar and being appreciated for the token feminine looks.

Ten years after that, a ubiquitous refrain I kept hearing was, ”Woman, you are scaring us. You keep showing us the better way, and we are miles ahead of where we once were. Will you ever let us stop?”

I share these stories for a reason.

Each of us possesses unique qualities that we often overlook or undervalue. These qualities, which others may find off-putting, are, in fact, immensely exciting and valuable. We mistakenly assume that everyone else shares these qualities, leading us to underappreciate what makes us unique and different.

The qualities I refer to have nothing to do with your career or life’s work. They are about you, your essence—yes, YOU. They are buried in your bones, your DNA, and your soul. Understanding and embracing these qualities is the key to your greatest self-awareness and personal growth.

My values have always centred around honour, truth, and suitability for all, and since I was a wee thing, I’ve known the best way to move forward is always to choose the better way. Between you and me, most of the world does not hold those things as tight or as close.

For too many, focusing on the better way is very scary, takes far too long and is just not worth the effort. Plus, just thinking about the welfare of others often causes a bigger headache than acting in such a manner.

That is NOT to say anyone is wrong because they don’t think like me. They are just different. And different is ultimately the better way to deliver the diversity we all want.

A year and a half ago (!), I learned how to talk about the better way without scaring the hell out of the person I was chatting with. I learned to say the right thing so everyone saved face and could quickly get behind what I suggested. Prior to eighteen months ago — I wasted a lot of time and effort and, worse, pissed a lot of people off when I could have cut all the bad stuff off at the pass.

No, not really. The world had to evolve, technology had to be invented, ideas had to exist, and smart people needed to play with concepts to make it seem the answer was always there.

The answer has been in the marketplace for five years. I am one of the few with the pass key, and I’d love to show you how you, too, can benefit as much as I have.

No matter who or what you are

Whether you love to dive headfirst into details, really like to argue and challenge first before you give your take, or perhaps you don’t care and simply want to make an impact. However YOU operate is perfectly fine. There are nine different ways in a multitude of combinations, and the only thing we need to do is understand where we fit in all that.

During September and October, I have several different opportunities to help people uncover what they are made of. Let me know if you’d like to get in on a session. I won’t be charging cash for most of them, but there is a non-cash component. Reply with an “I’m in,” and I’ll let you in on all the details.

I would be honored to guide you on a journey of discovery. I want to help you uncover the person you’ve always been, and give you the tools to be accepted and appreciated by others. This will be a unique experience, unlike anything you’ve had before.

It truly is the better way to understand your true value and finally uncover why others are drawn to you.