PART 2 in the 5 Part Series: Identity

THE LABEL YOU GIVE YOURSELF DEFINES WHO YOU ARE.

Who are you?

When you shake hands with someone for the first time, you usually tell people your occupation.  Hello, I’m Tom, I’m a school teacher.  This is understandable considering you spend a good 40 hours in this role.

Some people define themselves by their Facebook profile.  I am Jessica Johnson, DFAC Figure Pro.  You have publicly created an identity for yourself and it shows by the type of posts you share and the friends you keep.

Others define themselves by their passion. I’m a cyclist or a crossfitter or a marathoner.  The way in which you identify yourself determines your lifestyle and your way of going about your day.

Final example, I am a mother.  You have identified yourself as the ultimate caregiver and much of what you do centres around your child.  They come first.

KEY POINT:  The beliefs about who you see yourself as defines what you will or will not do.

Let me explain: Case in point, Bill Goldberg

I was watching a Bill Goldberg interview shortly before he was to return to pro wrestling after having been out of the sport for quite some time.  In the interview, they asked him why he was coming back.  He gave an answer and started describing himself with the following types of words:

“I’m a competitor.  I’m a warrior.  I’m D-lineman.  I bang my head against walls. Until I have a foot in the grave I will be lifting, punching people…it’s the competitive nature I have in me”

Goldberg addressed his identity in this interview and it is this belief that he has about himself that gave him the hunger to return.

How does this apply to me, Tom?

Genuinely Adopt an identity and it will shape you.

Some of you already do this.  I’m a fatso.  I’m a homebody. This identity and its associated beliefs paralyze you from moving towards your goals.

I have lived with the following identity for the longest time.

I am an athlete. I am a fricken’ beast.

Everything I do has specific intent towards who I am.  I give my all, I don’t quit and I don’t let obstacles hold me back from what I truly want to accomplish. The way I see myself propels me forward.

BOTTOM LINE:

Change your identity to something  empowering, believe in it wholeheartedly, and you move forward.