What the hell is it? Legally, it’s your name, social security number, date of birth, all ways for other people to identify who you are, differentiating you from other people. An 8-letter word to describe the whole entity and being of one individual. But it’s not just one thing, it’s many things. The identity that many are looking for is defined by you and can only be defined by you. What does it mean to have an identity? How do you know when you find it? How do you know the identity you have is really you? Identity is primarily formed based on where you feel that you fit in society. Whether you belong to a certain group or not, ascribe to the same norms of the general society, like what’s popular, wear the latest trends, in many cases, if you don’t fit what is deemed “normal,” you feel like you don’t fit, i.e. an identity crisis. Truth is, sometimes you just don’t fit…well in your mind you don’t fit. The problem with identity is that everyone has their own way of describing themselves and who they are. So, what does that mean for you and finding your identity? It means you can’t base your identity off of the opinions of other people, the latest fashion trends, who you hang out with, or the fact that you just can’t get with the Game of Thrones hype. Yes, those things may be elements to your identity, but they don’t define who you are. Identity comes from within. You cannot own the definition of yourself if the definition is merely a compilation of what is deemed “acceptable” by other people.
Finding your identity is more of a journey, rather than a stagnant all comprising idea. You aren’t just going to wake up one day with a miraculous epiphany saying, “I know who I am.” But in a way, the quest to find your identity is never ending. The more you experience, the more you mature and age, the changes you experience from day to day, maybe even hour to hour, will shape and mold a new version of how you define you. You don’t wear the same clothes, listen to the same songs, or have the same thoughts every day, so finding your identity can’t be accomplished all in one day. On the journey to finding your identity, it is important not to fall into the trap of labels and the stereotypes that accompany them. When being a part of a group, team, cohort, it is easy to define yourself based off of the culture and traditions of the group that you belong to. However, a group is a number of people and things, with each person having their own identity that cannot be defined simply by group thought. As a growing, developing, improving person, in a society so difficult to navigate, find yourself. In the pursuit of finding your identity be honest, fearless, open, unapologetic, in the ways in which you define yourself. Don’t allow anyone to define who you are.
