Originally published on Kudoz’s website: http://kudoz.ca/blog/getting-to-know-ourselves

“Hey, I’m __________, and I’m a _____________. “

Your answer may have rolled off your tongue. Or maybe, that second blank took a bit longer. It’s definitely not my intention to pressure you into an existential crisis, but I can’t help but ask:  Who are you?

We’re all multi-dimensional people with loads of skills, experiences, and identities. But with so much abundance, it can be hard to draw on the things that set you apart. It’s sometimes easier for others to see our strengths than ourselves. For Kudoz, we see you stand out each day. The Hosts, Circle, and Kudoers have put forward brilliant parts of themselves: kindness, empathy, analysis, and comedy. And skills like Entrepreneurship, Teaching, Carpentry, Arts, Biology—you name it. They’ve taken something that’s a part of their identity and shared it.

For Host, Justin Albay, his identities were as a Music Lover, Knitter, Artist, Jeweller, and up until a few weeks ago: an Employee.

When Justin lost his job he wasn’t sure what he’d fill in his days with. He was looking for something new, but that takes time. So he got to thinking about his titles. One that resonates with the most?

He’s Justin, and he’s an Experience Host.

To keep busy he booked as many experience requests as came through his inbox. He even hosted twice in one day! Started making it to each Reflection Cafe. The more he met Kudoers, the more likely they were to book his experiences. He found a lot of purpose in Hosting not because he was missing purpose in other things, but because it had a new value. It was a way to learn, share, grow, and get out of the house. He wasn’t just an experience Host, those hours with Kudoers made him reflect on his listening, patience, search for novelty, and want for more exploration in his life.

Sometimes I wonder what identities Hosts are leaving Kudoz Experiences with. At the end of an hour, after a few Kudoers—how have you changed?

Kudoz isn’t just about passions and hobbies, it’s about exploring the parts of ourselves we can’t help but share. In that sharing, we develop and become more aware of the things we’re working on (or need to work on).

In Hosting, Justin has tapped into different identities he can bring to the table no matter where he finds his next job. He’s Justin, and he’s a knitter, he’s a teacher, he’s an artist, he’s a music lover, he’s a listener, and he’s a learner. Each one reflects a bit more of his personality–when we know ourselves there’s a lot more room to get to know others.