Whole Person Identity
Don’t sell yourself short.
Never identify with only one or two aspects of who you are as a person. There’s much more to you.
For emotional well-being, identity must be multi-faceted and ranked by importance
For example, I identify with possessing certain skills, but they are not as important as being a supportive, nurturing, and protective partner and father.
Maintaining the hierarchy of what we identify with creates authenticity.
Exercise
Write down a description of who you are and what you identify with.
(Keep it honest by not showing it to anyone, which will eliminate impression management.)
Start with the hard-wired drive to form and maintain emotional bonds. Example:
I am a partner, parent, child, friend. I identify with my sense of basic humanity – compassion, kindness, appreciation, morality, equality, fairness.
I identify with my curiosity, skills, certain attributes (intelligence, speech, etc.), preferences, skills, experiences, and community-membership.…
After you make your hierarchical identity statement, read it aloud into your phone and play it back.
Listen to it at least once a day for several weeks.