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“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right” Henry Ford. In the world today we are pre-disposed to the ubiquitous labels that get slapped on us throughout our lives starting at birth. These are little confinement cells that can define and organize our existence based on our outward circumstances. We, by default, learn to accept and go along with these labels that are projected upon us by the world or even our families. These seemingly innocuous labels begin to shape how we see the world and how we see ourselves.
In my own experience there were a few labels I was born into and never really questioned at that time. Right out of the gate a label that I had was Twin. I am a twin. What this label ultimately meant for me was shared identity, shared bedroom, shared clothes, shared attention shared gifts, shared car etc. It was good, until it was bad. As I got older, I didn’t want to share everything I had, including my identity. “Which twin are you”? This is a question I got over and over again. This was not bad at the time but looking back, I did long to be recognized for my individuality! I am actually quite different than my twin but nobody could seem to get past the surface similarities to recognize that I had quite unique and distinct traits that were just lost in translation over the years. We were just so homogenous to everyone.
You can imagine my excitement when it was finally time for me to strike out on my own and got to college! Hurray, freedom at last! It was great, I was finally able to establish myself as an individual, but what I also brought along with me was the conditioning of being not special or effective or a standout in anything, on my own. Nobody, including myself, really knew what I was about or what I liked or what I was good at or anything because I was never really asked so I never really gave it mental thought! I was always a package deal. Uh oh! Identity Crisis!
While my story might be slightly unique and this is only a small fraction of it, my human experience is not unique at all. We are all living under assumed labels whether we are aware of it or not. With these labels come the burden of the mindset that is part of the package. You are poor, you are wealthy, you are underprivileged, you are too privileged, you are smart, you struggle in school, your parents are college educated, your parents are blue-collar, you are so pretty, you are just a little awkward…all these come with emotions attached to them. We play our role in life accordingly unless we are brought to awareness that we have a say in the matter and we can change the course of our life. Get right in your mind and there are few limits and labels that can contain your upward momentum. I know this firsthand and many of you do as well. Here are a few parting thoughts on the matter:
Stay Mindful – If you don’t renew your mindset, whatever story you tell yourself, for the good or the bad, the world will automatically cast the actors for you. This is true.
Invest in Inspiration and Stop Rescuing Desperation – I’m borrowing this thought provoking quote from Dr. John DiMartini. The only way you continue to be a victim of circumstance is if you continue to believe that you ARE a powerless victim of circumstance. Change is always possible but it has to start with your mind FIRST. Empowerment.
Success Breeds Success – Success tends to be a snowball effect. Control the things in your life that you can control first. Use the SMART goal approach (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and have a Time-Frame for Completing) to go from small successes which then attracts bigger successes.
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