Gurus, Ninjas, Experts, and Labels

Labels are a great way to identify things.

They save us a lot of time when we’re trying to identify who made a shirt, what is contained in a bottle, or what street we should turn on next.

But when it comes to people, it gets a lot more complicated. 

We see gurus, ninjas, and experts everywhere we go. These labels attempt to define what a person contains, and they most often fail.

The thing is, we are not labels, we are what we do every day. Labels don’t have enough room on them to articulate depth or to tell your story. They only tell part of the story, and are often misleading.

Your label may attract a prospect, but your work will get you a customer.

Your label makes you proud, but your work makes you worthwhile.

Whatever your label says is only relevant for the time it takes to say it aloud or have someone read it. Once that moment is over, it’s all about what you actually do.

Your label is your name tag. What you do every day is actually you.

Trust me, I’m an expert.
[image: cambodia4kidsorg]

This post originally appeared on hanelly.com.