I had a funny conversation with my business coach, Lynnaire Johnston, last year about pictures. We were talking about the headshot that was on my LinkedIn profile.
I had it done professionally several years before. I never liked it, but I couldn’t put my finger on what was wrong. It always just seemed flat to me.
But Lynnaire asked me how old the picture was. I told her that it had been done several years before. I didn’t remember the actual date.
She asked how old I was. I was 71 at the time of our conversation. I certainly felt young!
Lynnaire lives in New Zealand. The indigenous people there are called the Maori. She said there is a word in that language that does not have a direct translation into English. The closest is “elder” She said I needed to lean towards my role as an “elder” in the community now.
She said the energy of the existing photo did not match my energy as she experienced it through a Zoom call on the other side of the world. It was not about whether the photograph looked like me.
I went to a professional photographer for a headshot. We also did another picture that was informal with my husband and dog. Those photos are on my website.
So now the photo matches, so it “feels like me”. Much better.
It was an interesting conversation. We never know how people perceive us.
Can you guess which one is my current picture?
I’m a professional resume writer and a coach, and these are the type of things that I help with about my clients. If you would like to talk, there is no charge for consultation. Go to this link, and it will take you to my scheduler.