Are Your Labels Limiting You?
If someone were to ask you what your defining identity is, what would you tell them?
What I mean by that is…
…what is the one thing that influences and directs the vast majority of the decisions in your life?
Are you a business owner?
A caregiver?
A cancer survivor?
An activist?
An employee?
An immigrant?
An artist?
Whether or not you consciously define yourself with a specific label, you do things every day that determine the way you see yourself and your world.
This unconscious grid that defines you is one of the biggest influencers on the decisions that you make in life and the outcomes you experience.
For instance, if your main identity is that of a parent, your life most likely revolves around your children. You make their activities, needs and aspirations a priority. You put things such as paying for their braces ahead of your desired vacation. You consider their bedtime and routine when you are making plans with friends or business contacts.
The same can be said for any of the other ways that you may define yourself…for better or for worse.
**We can define ourselves by our occupation, “I am a teacher”, or our relationships to others, “I am a wife”.
**We can define ourselves by our life’s circumstances. “I am a survivor” or “I am a victim” or even “I am chronically ill”.
**We can define ourselves by our appearance. “I am overweight”. “I am a petite brunette” or “I am a black man.”
Take a moment to think about the labels that you consciously or unconsciously place on yourself.
Now think about everything that is associated with that identity.
Is your label placing limits on your life?
If you identify as a teacher, are you also identifying with a certain ceiling on your income? (ie Teachers are underpaid)
If your first identity is that of a parent, is that identity limiting what you think you can accomplish in your career? (ie I’m “just” a mom)
If you are overweight, does that limit how you think other people see you?
If you are a person of color, has your own awareness of prejudice and injustice further limited your options?
It is important that we become aware of any labels we place on ourselves as they will steer the direction of our lives.
We need to examine our limiting beliefs around our labels, even the good ones, to see if there is something there that is holding us back from becoming the best version of ourselves.
Hold what you believe about yourself up against the following truth statements to bring to the surface any false belief you may have.
Note: You will know that you have a false belief if you experience physical tension or an internal resistance to the true statements when you speak them aloud.
I am unlimited potential
I can be or do anything that I set my mind to
I am deserving of success, prosperity and love
If you have difficulty fully believing any of these statements, that is a sign that the labels you identify with are limiting you. (we all do in some way)
This will require you to do some inner work to bring full awareness to your unconscious patterns of beliefs. The sooner you bring them to light, the sooner you can move forward into your true identity and purpose.
