I'm looking for advice from people who have changed their names or adopted a new nickname. Basically, I've never really felt like my name, Danielle. My family calls me Dani and it's fine for them to call me that, but I don't want to adopt it in all situations because it's a special family-only nickname to me.
Recently I have been thinking of Elle and I think I'd really like to go by that. I know nicknames usually evolve naturally, but how difficult would it be to adopt Elle for myself? What if I started introducing myself as Elle to new acquaintances? It would be easier if I were moving to a new area or something, I feel, but that's not on the cards right now. If I start using it with new people, I'm going to have a weird mix of people calling me Danielle, Dani, and Elle.
Thoughts or advice?