Have you ever stopped to think, I mean really stopped to think, about what defines you? For most adults in this world, the answers appear to be linked with their job titles; lawyer, doctor, teacher, father, husband, or wife. As teenagers, are we the same? It’s human nature to define your very being by the titles you carry, the boxes that you are put into. Do you define them yourself, or by the friends that you spend your time with? The music you listen to, movies you watch, sport you play? Maybe it’s your academic achievements. Maybe, you even define yourself by your failures.
I could stand on a stage, and ask this to a room full of people, and the answers will be different for everyone. I have asked this question to many people; everyone has different values, morals, goals, personalities, and life stories. Many people don’t know how to define themselves. Who are you when you strip away the titles, the influence of family and friends? The greatest influence on you, is yourself. Start listening to yourself. There are several steps you can take, if you want to get a different perspective on yourself, your world. I will mention a few.
Identify the strengths and weaknesses in yourself. By knowing this, you can achieve a lot more by growing your strengths, and working on your weaknesses Take time to reflect on your goals, and what you really want to achieve. Break away from your routine, and step outside of your comfort zone. Sometimes, if you allow yourself to be caught up in the mentality of the crowd, and you unwittingly conform to their ideas. Don’t stereotype yourself. Even though we are warned not to stereotype others, we often do not see the harmful effect of doing it to ourselves, limiting our abilities.
I can only talk as myself, who knows the pressures of change, and overwhelming thoughts that your decisions now affect the rest of your life. While we all know this, many of us simply push the reality aside, and hide behind a think veil of apathy towards the topic. We want to stand out, but also to fit in. Each of our life goals are different, each of our mindsets differ. This is a topic with too many variables, too many angles, to ever fully discuss in this essay. You’re a product of your life experiences. I know that right now, I cannot define myself, yet I know who I am. I know I’ll change.
I know that who I am, can never be fully set in stone. So I’ll never really know for sure. I’m okay with that, since I know what I stand for, what I believe in, what I think, feel, and am, without the titles. That is how you define yourself. Know what makes you tick. Whatever that may be. There is no wrong. There can never be any wrong when it comes to knowing who you are. I’ve never liked putting people in little boxes, or being put in them myself, and I still don’t recommend that. Ask yourself this, “Who are you? ” Because if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.
