Every time you sign your name, you’re revealing two things: how you see yourself and how you wish to be seen by others.

When I first studied signatures, I saw them as permanent insignias. Now, I see them as ever-changing symbols of who the person is at present and who that person is in the process of becoming.

Your signature is in fact a representation of your identity; so that if you alter your signature, you tend to alter how you feel about your status and your place in the world.

Some people simplify their signatures as it makes them feel more authentic.

This is the signature of the writer, Sinclair Lewis . As you can see it is plain and simple. However the large capitals show that he is not lacking in self-esteem.

In assessing this signature we would say that although he is direct and unostentatious the significant capitals show him to be confident and self-assured.

Other individuals may prefer to expand and add more flourishes to their signatures as they grow in self-esteem and feel a need to express their self-assurance to the world.

Here is the signature of Michael Jackson and as you can see it has much more flourish and showmanship which was in keeping with his profession on the stage.

Each change in your signature tells a story of the alignment between your self-perception and you attempt at self-expression.

Now take a blank page and sign your name three times – once in the way that you usually sign, once as you used to sign and once as the signature that you wish to show the world.

Notice the differences? Which signature seems to represent the real you? And importantly, which one feels the most authentic representation of the you that you wish to reveal to the world?