T I m e m a n a g e m e n t

You Are Extraordinary
Realize and accept that you are a unique and wonderful per-
son. Your values have grown and evolved over the course of
your entire lifetime. They have emerged as the result of
countless influences and experiences. They are part of your
psychological and emotional DNA. They are part of your
character and personality. They seldom change over time.
Your job is to determine what your innermost values really
are, and then to organize your life so that you are living and
working consistent with those values.
Analyze Yourself
Here are four sentence completion exercises that you can
use to gain better insight into the person you really are
inside. Complete each sentence:
1.
“I am . . .” If a stranger were to ask you, “Who are you,
really?” what would be your answer? What are the first words
that you would use to describe yourself? Would you describe
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T I M E M A N A G E M E N T
American Management Association / www.amanet.org

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yourself in terms of your work, your qualities as a person,
your hopes, dreams, and aspirations? Select three to five
words to complete the sentence, “I am . . .”
If you were to interview the people around you, the peo-
ple you live with and work with, and ask them the same
question about yourself, what would they say? How would
other people describe you in terms of your values and the
person you really are? Based on the way you behave and
treat other people, what conclusions would they come to
about the person you are inside?
2.
“People are . . .” Think of people in general, in the world
around you. How would you describe the human race? Are
people good, warm, and loving? Are people lazy, devious, or
untrustworthy? 
Your answer will have a major influence on how you treat
other people in every part of your life. It will determine just
about everything you will accomplish as an executive and as
a person with family and friends.
3.
“Life is . . .” Your response here may seem simple, but it
speaks to your entire philosophy of life. Positive, healthy,
happy people see life as a wonderful experience, full of ups
and downs, but certainly a great adventure overall.
One of my favorite stories is about a young man who
goes to an old philosopher and says, “Life is hard.”
The philosopher replies, “As compared with what?”
As Helen Keller said, “Life is either a daring adventure or
nothing at all.” What is life to you? 
D E T E R M I N E Y O U R V A L U E S