If you were asked to qualify in a sentence or two who you are – how would you answer?
Because we live in times of both certainty and uncertainty, it’s important to our well-being to establish who we are and what we stand for – in real terms. This knowledge creates within us emotional stability and assured confidence – that further supports us whenever unexpected influences occur and apply. And this surety is most defined by the identity we hold of ourselves.
Our identity shapes us intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially. It provides us with great certainty when we are confident about how we present ourselves. And great uncertainty if we don’t meet the ideal self we desire. Or feel less deserving than others.
So what are some of the ways we can measure and improve our clarity in and of our identity and manage these to best effect?
1. Ask yourself some leading questions (because questions beg for an answer).
These may include:
• when do I feel and act most authentically?
• who and what influences me on a significant basis?
• do I speak my own mind, confidently?
• do I question my regular and routine thoughts and how they affect me?
• do my peer group support me, being me?
• am I asserting my rights?
• do I live life on my terms? How do I show up in life (because how you appear to others is often how they respond in kind).
2. How do you show up in life (because how you appear to others is often how they respond in kind)?
Ask yourself:
. do you live life consciously?
. do you strive to live by your highest towards values?
. are you living life in alignment to psychological patterns that serve you?
. are your needs being met by you healthfully?
. do the support needs of others most often only once yours are primarily and healthfully fulfilled?
3. Are your highest values and their purpose conscious to you?
. what are those highest values and how do you regularly meet them?
. are you experiencing conflict with anybody with different values alignments?
. when did you last review and reconcile your chosen values in life? Are they vibrant and clear? Or do they need refreshing?
. do you understand how the values you choose consciously or unconsciously drive you?
4. If you were asked to describe yourself succinctly and clearly, could you do so?
. If your identity isn’t clear to you, how do you think others respond?
. Do you have more than one set of values used interchangeably in differing life sectors? Does this serve or hinder?
. Have your blurred your identity by wearing several ‘hats’ at the same time? How does this affect your primary relationships?
. Do you miss being who you were before life as it is now, changed you? What can you bring back into your life that brings you joy and pleasure?
. Are your life circumstances not as you wish or wished they could be? How does the vision you hold of yourself make you feel? Is it positive?
It is a valuable process to regularly take a close look at how you’re living. So much of today’s anxiety, conparison analysis and stress is processed subconciously by the conditioning of social mediums. These can deliberately cause anxiety, because anxious people are both maliable and marketable. Take charge of your mental and emotional states and create actions and beliefs that fill you up, empower you, and allow you to be authentically and heathfully, you.
It’s your life to live!