When I talk about culture, people typically think I mean work culture, but that's not the case. When was the last time you thought about your own personal culture?

Let me define that: Your own personal culture is how you operate and interact in everyday life. It is the words you leave with people after they meet you. It is the choices you make each day and the way you purposely live.

I'm under the impression that if you know what culture you want to create for yourself, then you are empowered to choose what parts of our larger culture you will participate in and support. Equally, it empowers you to decide which aspects you will ignore or avoid.

My friend, Krista, helped me break down my personal culture into five words (see sidebar). Each of these words sums up what is critically important to me, what message I want to send to others and how I want to operate each day. It is a great measuring stick for my daily life and activities.

To define my own personal culture, here's what I did:

1. I took a piece of paper and found a quiet moment to define what was important to me in terms of what I like to do, what I value and what is meaningful in my life.
2. Second, I thought about what others would say about me if I asked them. How would they describe me? I wasn't completely sure, so I then asked five friends to list 10 words that described me.
3. Third, I looked at how I live each day. What things consumed my time? Work? TV? The gym? How I spend my day said a lot about what is important to me.
4. Fourth, I listed all of the words that came out of the first three steps. I sat down with someone I trusted and started to find the words that mattered most. Then, I narrowed my list down to five words that encompassed my culture and my approach. If my chosen words didn't exactly match what I was feeling that day but they did match my ideal approach, then that was good. It gave me something to strive for.