Just six words. What say you?

A friend posted this challenge:  "If you had to write a bio in 6 words, what would yours be?" In one sense, this is an epitaph - you can put more on a tombstone, or other grave marker, but what if it's a small plaque on a columbarium?  When I helped with the One Day Only events, we limited the bios to ten words, or 50 characters, and sometimes had to edit when a person exceeded the allowance.  It can be difficult to sum up your life in six words.  Many people rose to the challenge, and I've added some of their offerings posted in response to the question:

• This bloke is not good at counting.
• Curious mind seeking endless learning adventures.
• Means well, tries hard. Rough edges.
• Does not play well with adults.
• An experienced, self-driven information manager.
• Curious mum of boys, permanently exhausted.
• Stay at home mom, send help.
• Former gifted child full of anxiety.
• Started strong. Made mistakes. Living life.
• Once discussed theology, now feeds goats.
• Ordinary moments don't exist. Pay attention!
• Chances taken lead to memories made!
• I did it my way, apparently!
• At least it was never boring.
• Is the loudest voice in the room.
• A hot mess, but lotsa fun.
• I laugh and then fall down.

A number of those appear to be closer to 'words of wisdom' than biography, but it could be that it is how their life has led them.  One person posted both work and personal biographies.

I thought about this for a while.  It can be difficult to boil yourself into one minute of time, or thirty seconds, which is what people are supposed to time for an "elevator speech".  I had to do one on Friday that was 45 seconds, and it's not just having a short speech but knowing the audience and getting the pitch correct.  In this case, it was in a breakout session for a group attending a "Your Next Chapter Matters" series from The Leadership & Society Initiative.  I quickly realized that these are people who are hitting retirement and looking at what to do in the next step of their life, and not the average person but CEOs and similar who have much to bring to another organization.

I am definitely not at retirement age and I don't think I'm near enough to contemplate it seriously, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have a "next chapter" if something approaches.  In a way my current job is a 'next chapter' as I'd been safely and lazily (in terms of not pushing my career forward strongly) ensconced in a company since 2008 and while there had been some changes to my job, the role was essentially the same.  All of the real differences were in the specific team I was supporting, or in the side work such as mentoring junior people and working on special projects.  I was highly valued by the business, but less so by the department management, other than my immediate supervisors.  It became clear that I needed to either accept the inertia or make a leap - I gathered my courage and did.  Including, which many women know is a tricky bit, to negotiate an improvement in the salary they proposed, and benefits.

So now I am in a role that more closely fits not only what I think of myself professionally, but which more closely reflects how persons outside my company perceived me.  I still have a bit of wonder at how these are matching up more closely, and I still am amazed at being officially considered the SME and Key Person in my role.  In many ways, it's a role I should have been in more than a decade ago, but there's no winding back time.  And it's not a role I want to leave soon, hence not being ready to retire.

Thus, I had a quick challenge for the introduction to the LSI breakout group.  I began by acknowledging I am in a different place in my career and life, but saying that I wanted to prepare for that next step, and wanted to find out how to integrate my "off-resume" work in a way that would show the value to others.  "People see me as a cybersecurity and intellectual property attorney, and don't notice how I have been on the board of several nonprofits, or founded what became one of the largest events of its type in the country.  I want to figure out how to bring those additional skills forward."  I thought that this would provide a good view of my experience and skills, as well as the dichotomy.

Thankfully, I have a number of years to work on it.  So for now, my six-word bio reads:

Technology and creativity, ever curious explorer.

Check back with me in a year or three, and it might change.