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Chapter 2

Write Your Current Biography

You are a combination of your personal and professional histories.

Embrace what makes you unique and use it to propel yourself forward.

Before heading off on any trip, you need to take an inventory of where you are: your location, current work situation, and lifestyle. You also want to look at your resources. For a road trip, that means looking at your car (will it get you where you want to go?), your budget (where can you afford to stay during your travels?), and how much time you can take. For a goal trip, you need to look at your skills and specialties in order to see what translates into something you can pack to take with you.

Let’s say you want to quit your job to become a chef. If you are already a prolific home cook, then you are off to a good start, although you will need more education and training. If the only appliances you use are your toaster oven and pressure cooker, you have a way to go in amassing skills. It’s still possible, but the journey will be of a greater distance.

Want to climb the corporate ladder? You need to identify what skills you already have that make you the ideal candidate.

Want to start a podcast? What from your background will make for good content?

Want to grow your business or start a side hustle? Do you have the sales, marketing, or customer service chops to leverage to help you succeed?

Writing your biography will remind you of what you have done and what your capabilities are.

Your Biography

A bio is a document which runs anywhere from a few lines, to a couple paragraphs, to a page in length. This is where you share your accomplishments, experience, and expertise, along with your strengths and values. Unlike a résumé, it’s in narrative form and should be written in your tone and style, showing some personality along with your professional background. It’s the public’s first impression of you. And it’s a good way to remind yourself of all you have done and what you want to achieve.

You Are Here

Most people find writing their bio extremely challenging. I know writers who have literally spent hours upon hours writing and rewriting their biographies. Don’t do that. Yes, you want something good, but you don’t want to derail your road trip prep by getting stuck in Chapter 2.

Remember, you can revise your biography at any time. As you aspire toward your goals, you will likely need your bio for your business, website or blog, byline, query, etc. However, for the purposes of your road trip, don’t get stuck on the words. Do your best to capture who you are now.

To assist you, I have some simple tricks to make this process easier.

Go to a Networking Event

Whether it’s a breakfast mixer or evening event, networking schmooze-fests have the sole purpose of encouraging their attendees to meet a lot of people in a short period of time. Think of it as speed-dating with professional interest. Come to think of it, some cities even do speed-networking events. That’s even better.

When you’ve spent an hour or so introducing yourself to a bunch of new people, your background will be in easy-recall mode. Write notes as soon as feasible after the networking experience. Jot down the highlights or repeat your introduction to yourself via voice memo.

Ask Friends

Stumped as to which of your characteristics and experiences stand out? Ask your friends and peers. People you know and trust will offer a unique, unbiased perspective. Make sure your questions are open-ended.

For instance, ask:

•Do you remember your first impression of me?

•How would you describe me to someone else?

•What was your favorite/funniest/most-serious business/client/project experience with me?

Give people the opportunity to talk about you to you. They will definitely come up with stories that didn’t occur to you. And they may even want you to return the favor and help with their own bio.

Research Yourself

If you do no other prep for writing your bio, try this.

You likely have several versions of your résumé from over the years floating around. You may even have written a bio for your blog, company website, or LinkedIn.

Gather any and every version of your bio and résumé that exists. Search for old versions in your filing cabinet, on your computer, or online. Print out any computer documents or screenshots. Once you have everything together, read them.

Done? Awesome. Now put them away.

I want you to start with a clean slate. You can double-check the dates later. This research will help you paint a picture of the complete current version of you.