Where Did You Come From? The Simple Question You Have To Answer First

By Nick Nanton

Where did you come from? This is the simple, yet crucial, question you have to answer first in order to build a successful personality driven business.

When building a position for yourself in your business, it sounds really basic, but the very first thing you have to look at is where you came from.

We all too often overlook things in our past that are highlights, recurring trends or even little glimpses of our destiny because we’re so busy running a thousand miles an hour toward our current goals. We get caught up in operations or the next “shiny object” and don’t see the forest for the trees.

But the most revealing thing we do when we bring clients in for consulting days is ask them to tell us who they are, where they came from and what their path was that brought them to the table with us. Now, often there are many things that aren’t crucial to the process, but by listening to stories from our clients’ past, we are able to determine a very distinct set of core values and skills that our clients thought were mundane, but usually hold at least some of the keys to their future.

Think of it this way: we bet there are times when you’ve said to yourself, “What makes me special? I’ve pretty much had the same experience as everyone else.

I don’t live the life of a rock star, an astronaut or a Nobel Prize Winner, so I’m really not that different.”

Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sure, we all have some similar scenarios in our lives, but the beauty of our past experiences is in the details.

Show one person a painting, ask them to point out what they find striking and they will tell you what they “see.” Show the same painting to another person and they will frequently see something very different. We often see the painting of our lives through distorted glasses. We just don’t realize that what we are seeing is not the same thing everyone else is seeing! Ask around and you will find out. I’ve been known to conduct a $10,000.00 challenge when I speak. It goes something like this:

Take out a pen and paper and write down the answer to these five questions:

1. What city were you born in?

2. What is your mother’s maiden name?

3. What is the name of your sibling closest in age to you? (If you don’t have any siblings, write down the name of your first “Best Friend.”)

4. Who was your first roommate when you moved out of your parents’ house for the first time?

5.What was the first and last name of the person who gave you your first kiss?

If anyone in the room has answers that are identical, Nick will give those two people $10,000.00 to share. The example is a bit extreme and he could offer a million dollars, but we hope you get the point. The story of your life is very different than anyone else’s, even those who grew up in the bedroom next to you (although that person will never pay you what you’re worth! Trust us on this one!). The story is different for no other reason than the fact that people focus on different things.

Tell three people the same story, with lots of details and they’ll all tell it back to you differently, because they focused on the things that stuck out to them.

So, the moral of the story, take the time to write down the key elements in your life and then tell your “origin story” (where you started and how you got to where you are today) to a few friends, and see what sticks out to them. Look for the reoccurring themes, the things that gave you the greatest joy, even if you didn’t necessarily make money at them.

These key elements will be the beginning of your Positioning Power Points that you will use to take the next step in creating your Brand Position to increase your value in the business world. Examined in this light, your Brand will be your very own and by creating your position this way, you eliminate all your competition because “no one is you” and if your customer wants you, ultimately he will only have one choice.