On Identity

I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on who I am, who I appear to be, and the way I present myself to the world. We all get tied to our identity, but it’s a powerful practice to be able to examine the way we show up, as it allows us to quickly become who we’d like to be. A few years ago I was seeing someone new, and he casually mentioned how I always wore black. I thought of myself as a vibrant woman, so I told him he was mistaken, and ran home to my closet, where I found that 95% of my wardrobe was black. Yikes!

After some self-discovery, I realized how safe I liked to show up in the world. It’s easier to avoid judgment and comments from other people by fitting in and not being seen, but how little fun is that??

We communicate first through our appearance. I used to think that caring about the way I looked was shallow, but now I see it as an influential tool in becoming who I’ve always wanted to be. It’s also a fun and creative process getting to choose who are you every, single day.

Sometimes we want to be these big voices in the world, however, we feel safer staying where we’re at, hiding from actually being seen. What does the way you present yourself to the world say about you? Do you make eye contact, and hold your chin high? Are you willing to wear bright and fabulous clothing, or would you prefer keeping things a little milder to avoid someone saying “well, you’re dressed up”? By stepping out of your comfort zone, you quickly show the universe who you’d like to be in this lifetime. And that my friend, is personal power.

Not only do people from our past stay stuck on who they’ve registered us in their brains to be, but we also hold onto past versions of self. If you’ve lost a lot of weight, you might still think of yourself as that “chubby” 12-year-old girl. Or maybe you grew up struggling in school, and still think of yourself as the “dumb” one.

If you feel stuck in your identity, why not try on a new persona for size? Use your clothing, make up, hair style, and accessories to tell a new story about who you are today. Bonus points if you make eye contact, smile and introduce yourself to someone new as this version of you.