Claim Your Identity and Live It Boldly

Identity theft is a major crime in our high tech world but there’s another identity crisis that continues to claim victims every day. People, young and old are living beyond their means, dressing inappropriately, piercing and tattooing their bodies, experimenting with drugs, associating with people of questionable characters and known criminal histories and living and dying by the gun. As a society we have lost our own personal identities. Without a sense of who we are as individuals, we are doomed to be mindless followers, copycats and look-alikes.

Are you asking, “How do I find my identity, claim it and live it boldly? Your answers to the following question can start you on the road to being who you really are.

What are my core values?

Your spiritual beliefs, the people and things that really matter to you and those you can’t live without all make up your core values and they help to define who you are.

You might be able to regurgitate a mouthful of spiritual beliefs, yet they don’t impact your life in a meaningful way. They are just words, theories, pie-in-the-sky ramblings that make you acceptable in a particular group. Of course unless what you purport to believe cuts at your heart and transforms you, it is an attempt at conformity.

Core values also include the qualities you practice, expect from people around you and believe that you can’t live without. They might include honesty, faithfulness, punctuality, dependability and so on. When people show scant courtesy for these qualities and practices, you are displeased and even angered because you see them as admirable character traits.

What are my strengths?

Pinpointing your strengths is a major step to determining how you will proceed on a particular course of action.

What learned skill, natural gift or acquired talent helped you make a wise decision or accomplish a significant goal? Was it your ability to analyze a situation, assess a person or think quickly on your feet? Have you exhibited organizational skills, a keen sense of style or an eye for detail?

If your strengths served you in the past, they can serve you again. They are strengths you can be thankful for and claim as part of the structure of your identity.

Most often, it is far easier for other people to notice your strengths. What positive comments did they make? What qualities did they identify as being not only unique but an asset?