We often identify with labels that we place on ourselves and on others.
Parent, British, accountant, politician, over 50, female, diabetic, MBA, unemployed, perfectionist, lazy, anxious…. the list goes on.
The thing is, with each label we have some thinking, perspectives and judgments associated with it.
For example, I’ve had a career as a journalist for almost 20 years. It’s a label I’ve placed on myself and with this comes thinking – the perception that I’m not a “proper journalist” if I don’t work at a big newspaper and the discomfort of being perceived by others as one of the “media”, only interested in scandalous headlines and invading people’s privacy.
Or what about the label of age? For instance, thinking that person is under 25 so they are going to be inexperienced or immature. That person is over 60 so they’re past their use by date.
We will probably all have done it at some point, often subconsciously.
But labels are only useful for one thing…
And that’s putting people in boxes.
And those boxes are not true representations of who we really are.
You might be a high-achieving business executive, mother, wife, wine drinker, obsessive cleaner and any other number of labels.
But they aren’t you. They don’t define you. They aren’t who you really are.
Because who we truly are is more than a label.
It’s the goodness and love and happiness and strength and resilience and confidence and awesomeness inside us. It’s the amazing potential we hold. Our spirit. Our spark. The magic and essence of us.
That’s who we really are.
That’s who we will always be – even if we change jobs, have children, go grey.
This is why we’re special, worthy and amazing.
And why we are not just a label.
PS – Curious to find out what you’re really made of but don’t know where to start? Get in touch to find out more.