Free Who Are You Meant to Be? by Anne Dranitsaris

subjective vision of who we are or who we want to be. This self-image is based on the integration of interactions with others over the years and on impressions gathered through reading, the arts, cinema, and so forth. You’ll know the right rational brain is talking when someone says, “I’m the kind of person who…” A well-known actor who shall remain nameless was drawing on her right rational brain when she declared that she was “not the sort of person who slops around in sweatpants.” The image that we have of ourselves determines how we behave, dress, act, and respond to others. A positive self-image leads us to move toward becoming all that we can be. A negative self-image will cause us to stay where we are or move in the opposite direction. Brian Tracy, author and motivational speaker, frequently said in his training sessions that, “Our self image, strongly held, essentially determines what we become.”
    Self-image is often affected by how we feel or how others feel about us. When country music singer Shania Twain was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, her reaction suggested that her right rational brain was at odds with that honor. She expressed it this way: “I mean why is a girl from Timmins, Ontario, standing here, getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? I really don’t know.” The right rational brain clearly had not, until that time, built a self-image for Twain that was anything like that of the legendary stars whose names line the Walk of Fame, so the honor didn’t seem to align with her self-image. With time and congratulations from many fans and other celebrities, which reinforce their agreement with the honor, she likely has learned to accept it as well.
    The more consistent our self-image is with how we actually are, the less we will be affected by negative or corrective feedback from others. So if Lance Armstrong was right about his tendency to learn from difficult experiences, then the next time he is beaten in a race, he will be able to resist becoming demoralized by criticisms that he’s no longer at the top of his career; instead, he will rest assured in his conviction that the loss is an opportunity for some kind of growth.
    The following are the activities that the right rational brain is most efficient and least efficient at. They illustrate the function of the brain and what this looks like in the outer world, being acted out by the Performer, and in the inner world, by the Visionary.
    Performer
Most Efficient
Least Efficient
Inventing and reinventing themselves
Doing things in a prescribed order
Playing to win
Playing by the rules
Envisioning a desired future state
Following traditions
Inspiring or impressing others
Being one of the crowd
Having an optimistic outlook
Meeting emotional needs of others
Achieving results
Having a disciplined approach to self-care
Getting recognition
Taking constructive feedback
Speaking in front of an audience
Doing solitary activities
Inspiring others to achieve their potential
Enforcing rules and giving boundaries
Seeing the big picture
Maintaining the status quo
    Visionary
Most Efficient
Least Efficient
Foresight, anticipating what might be
Living in the present moment
Creating a positive self-image
Respecting authority
Using intuition
Staying connected to physical experience
Playing with possibilities
Conforming to rules
Perceiving the big picture
Sequencing and planning
Attuning to others
Focusing on facts and details
Reflecting
Being guided by experience
Imagining and brainstorming
Making things real
Making connections and systems
Making small talk
Helping others see their potential
Having a disciplined approach to self-care
    Right Emotional Brain
(Socializer, Artist)
    I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
    —Maya Angelou
    The goal or purpose of the right emotional brain is to have emotional experiences. It can produce