Self Esteem - Your Identity May Be an Optical Illusion No comments yet

The urge among us humans to discover higher meaning or gain the power to self-determine seems nearly universal. But that doesn’t mean the urge to raise self esteem is equally active in all people at all times.

At any given moment, it may be quite dormant in the majority of the population.

Most will settle for easy, simple answers about themselves.

- I’m Susie’s mom.

- I’m the sales department manager

- I’m George Washington’s great-great grandson.

Each of these is a quick, easy social label. It tells people who you are in a shortcut kind of way that they can grasp quickly. Other shortcut labels may be:

- I’m the author of “This or That” in hardback.

- I’m the inventor of the original widget.

- I wrote a law to ban (or permit) whaling.

All of these identities take their validity from something the other person already knows. We’re hooking ourselves into their existing knowledge base when we say we’re related to Susie or we make widgets.

Now, that way of identifying ourselves is convenient and works well as a means of letting other people know how we fit into their world. But what if we start thinking we really are “Susie’s Mom” or the author of “This and That”? Many people do, you know. Try asking: “Who are you?” You’ll get answers like:

- My name is ____ and I’m a housewife (or homemaker).

- My name is ____ and I’m an engineer.

- My name is ____ and I’m a doctor.

It’s possible to get so wrapped up in the job or the family relationship that we think that’s who we are. And our self esteem stops there.

If you’ve ever caught yourself “being your label,” the good news is, you can be much more. You have options for identity and self esteem you have never even dreamed of yet.

by Charles Burke

Charles BurkeLevel: PlatinumCharles Burke, retired and living in Thailand, is the author of “inside the Minds of Winners” and “Command More Luck. His blog is located at …

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