Who Do You Claim To Be?

Most often, people identify with their occupation and respond to the questio “who am I?” with titles such as a doctor, a referee, a cook, or whatever they do most throughout the day. It is important to understand that this is not who we are but what we do, yet most of us are unable to provide any other answer than the description of our profession or role in life.

On the same line, many will also provide a label for themselves based on national, cultural or religious identification such as an American, Chinese, Catholic, Protestant, Caucasian, etc. Again, this is not who we are but where we’re from. It refers to our background, the origin of our development, but provides little about the individual we have become.

Self-identification is an important part of human development, especially within the adolescent years. However, classifying ourselves among the above categories sets the stage for in-groups versus out-groups and self-comparisons to others within a specific label. We therefore tend to judge ourselves in contrast to others rather than assessing our own skills and abilities for what they are and what they can be. This, in turn, places us within a standard in which we evaluate our performance according to a scale from good to bad to establish whether or not we are acceptable to others.

Though we may find satisfaction in certain aspects, reaching perfection on all levels is near impossible. When we constantly compare ourselves to others, we regularly debase our self-image in some way because we highlight our limits rather than shine light on our proficiencies.

Therefore, the concept of the self should include our personal likes and dislikes, our talents and passions, our character and personal values, etc. These are the qualities that render us unique, that separate us from the mass, and that help lead us in the direction of our innate path in life. It doesn’t matter if you’re one of many; what matters is what makes you stand out from the crowd and renders you the best you you can be.

So let me ask you this: “who are you?”