You may have heard this question before: “What advice would you give your 16-year-old self?”

I know this is a popular way to package the “wisdom” of someone with experience or success and as the first boss of Google NEW evangelist, people used to ask me that. But I never got it. Why would I ask my older self what my younger self should have known or done? The missteps I took or the strange turns I took then are part of who I am now. Providing someone else with a guide to my traps and speed bumps would give them a defensive strategy, at best. No one is gaining any yards by looking in OWN rear view mirror.

But I think it's useful for people to have a retrospective about them OWN lives, noting significant milestones, because those moments tend to reveal something very important: a personality trait which I will call “Dimension X”. This is your unique superpower – the lens through which you see the world – not as it is, but as you are (to gently paraphrase Anaïs Nin). Over time, your Dimension X it becomes a signature reflex that plays an increasingly important role in shaping your future. It is your direct response to events that move you forward. And if you cultivate it, it can act as a strong, sure hand at the wheel in your day-to-day decisions and your overarching narrative.