Introducing yourself is usually the start of a conversation with new friends. And we all know that 'what we do' is a common topic (pending interesting distractions) people talk about.

Yet many of us (definitely me!) miss out on opportunities to spice up our chats. Perhaps in some unconscious desire to not attract attention (a very Asian thing, eh?), we settle for the banal.

So I've told myself, next time I meet someone new, instead of saying "I teach Geography", maybe I can try:

• "I spend my days trying to convince kids that the environment might actually matter."
• "I work in a classroom persuading children of nature's use and beauty."
• "I'm a classroom environmentalist."
• "I'm a salesman for nature"
• "I try to persuade this generation to save the environment for the next."

Another example. Instead of saying "I am a pastor", try:

• "I spend my weekends talking about making earth as pretty as it is in heaven."
• "I'm a manager of souls."
• "I work in a church, tending the tender gardens of men's hearts"
• "I construct and refine spiritual bomb-shelters for today's faithful"