What Are The Three Best Things About You?

Introduction

I first heard of such question back in 2016 during a philosophy course. My teacher used it as an ice-breaker exercise. My class had around 40-50 students and he paired us into groups of 2 where we would introduce each other to the other person. He wanted us to talk to someone we’ve never met nor knew beforehand and have that person present us to the rest of the class. He insisted that we all specifically answer that question, because he had a student once who introduced himself with “my favourite colour is green” even though a few months later, he discovered that he was training to compete in the upcoming Olympic games in Waterpolo 😆. He pondered on why didn’t he just say that instead of his favourite color 🤣? “Wouldn’t it have been so much more fun and interesting?” he told us 😅. I remember clearly what I said back then, because I wrote it on a piece of paper. Here were the three best things about me that I told a stranger to present back in 2016 in front of the whole class:

• I am fluent in French, English, Malagasy and I know a little bit of Spanish.
• I am very passionate about speedcubing and I practice it daily.
• I really like playing badminton and chess

I still remember that event, because it was the only time someone ever asked me that particular question. I have never ever stumbled on anyone or any video interviews that mentioned it. I guess he deserves credit for his originality 😄. One simple question that really reframed my way of thinking, that’s all it took. Therefore, since it occupied my thoughts so much throughout all these years, I decided to write an article about it. Why is it so profound and how would I answer it now? Find out more below:

Why is it such a GREAT question?

It makes people remember you

Humans naturally recollect any life events that were particularly vivid. If you can trigger reactions, feelings or just any kind of emotions from anyone, then they will be more likely to remember you. It might not be obvious at a young age to have such desire especially if you grew up shy like me, but I find it to be even more relevant in the adult world. I certainly had this fear of standing out as a young child which I learned to sort of overcome, because I understood over time, that no one will truly ever care. Somebody who stands out does get remembered a lot more and voicing our aspirations on top of everything helps even more. Not everyone thrives or wants this level of attention though so it might not be a good idea to try too hard. How hard? Up to us to decide for ourselves. I can certainly tell you for a fact that you will come out of any group discussion feeling like you know the people even though you just met them for the first time.

It is proof of your work

Answering that question is also a way of showing our work and getting recognized for it. It makes others aware of our best traits and of our personality. Because we spend so little time with any strangers we come across constantly, it gets harder for anyone to grasp in a few words who we truly are. It is basically like our 1 min sales pitch. In the world of business, you can have the best products or services, but if people don’t know about them, it is almost like you have nothing. It’s the same idea here, but with yourself. Even though people might not remember your other random life stories, they will still know your three best things. If they don’t know anything, they will assume the worst. As sad it is, that is just how humans are. Not that it matters and that you should care what others think, but just promoting yourself and your aspirations opens you to so much more opportunities. People who hear and learn about you will associate anything that comes into their lives to you for the better hopefully. The more people, for example, hear me say that I love traveling, the more likely they will associate any travel-related opportunities to someone they have once encountered ,in other words, me 😁.

It helps you prioritize your life

So much stuff in our lives might not even matter. If you consider something to be the best thing about you, maybe there is something about it that is worth digging into. It counts as a form of introspection and soul-searching. Our lives can involve many events, relationships, failures or successes, but if we really stop and reflect just a little about everything, what do we really value the most? Yes, it can make you a little uncomfortable especially if it is your first time answering it in front of a large group of people. Let’s face it, in a group of 40 random strangers, who is to say that our best selves can even impress anyone? (if that is our goal). Will I feel guilty for underachieving or will I get inspired from others? Don’t worry though, because from my experience and even back then, other people also feel similar emotions. The term “best” is subjective. If someone is proud of taking care of their siblings, who is to say that it is unworthy of mentioning?

What Would Be My Answer Now? (As of October 17th,2023)

Notice how this question is not about my dreams, visions or aspirations. It really boils down to what are the best things about me so far. Therefore, something that has not materialized yet can’t really count, because it is still not part of who I am if that makes sense.

But without further ado, my answer now would be the following:

• I am a content creator who writes blog articles and films YouTube videos in French, English and Spanish
• I graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Engineering in 2022
• I invested 3/4 of the savings I earned from working at 7 different jobs throughout my life in index funds