Labels

When? From the moment we are born we are given labels. Many of them are correct. Many of them are empowering. But many of them are not. Many of them are dragging us down. What labels do you need to get rid of today? 

What are Labels? Labels are essentially the title we give ourselves for a behavior, condition, or appearance we have.  A behavior label includes: I am funny, I am athletic, I am charismatic, etc.  A condition label can be: I am frightened,  I am undisciplined, I am selfish, I am hyper.  Labels for our appearance are all too common: I am tall, I am short, I am fat, I am skinny, I am ugly, I am pretty. Other labels are given to us through relation to other people. Relationship labels include many: boyfriend, wife, brother, student, employee, member, partner. Some of our labels were given to us as children: you are bad, you are dumb, you are lazy.

Many of the labels we are living with are incorrect. When we hold on to them, we are limiting ourselves and limiting our lives. We create boundaries in our minds, and in our everyday lives due to these labels. The hope is to bring awareness to the labels our subconscious has been wearing that are limiting us from who we are really meant to be.

Also related to the limitations that come with our labels, is that we are finding our identities in the labels we chose to wear. Our identities are not labels.

For example, the title of Wife is a great, positive label. The Wife label involves love, compassion, compromise, commitment, and many other positive attributes and feelings. However, the person beneath that label is so much more only those things. A Wife can also be an artist, a gardening enthusiast, a party planner, a designer, a writer, etc. A Wife also has a true self, outside of her title.

 When we do not gain awareness of our true selves, we can limit ourselves to only see the parts of us that fit our label. This is where the difference has to be made. We cannot lose our identity in labels, even if they are positive. Who we are, is more complex and far more interesting than any type of labels can possibly ever provide us. Why would you want to limit everything you really are??

Another thing we do is become a career label. For example, Tom the Lawyer, identifies his persona, his attitudes, his achievements all with his career. Since Tom spends so much of his time executing and growing this area of his life, he does not take the time to see beyond to the many ares that lie beneath. Tom's true self is composed of much more happiness, much more joy than only his career. Tom can explore more from within to connect with his true happier self.  Here are some steps Tom and the rest of us can take...

Identify your labels. Be honest with yourself. Grab a pen and paper. Write down all of the things you believe about yourself. The good things. The bad things. The secret things that you are afraid to tell anyone. Now, write down all the things that people have told you about yourself. Here, you will discover the subconscious labels you may be wearing. Write it all down to allow your ego to have a subjective view of these labels. Say them out loud to yourself. Examine the feelings associated with the labels you carry.

Now get rid of them. These labels, weather they are good or bad – are NOT who you are. Turn your paper over, on the back side write down a list of all of the things that make you happy: funny television shows, picnics by the sea, adrenaline seeking, hiking, animals, cooking, flowers, cars, snowflakes, whatever it may be. Do NOT write down people who make you happy. This will lead the mind back to creating labels. The goal is to see yourself at your very core, at your very happiest, independent from all others and independent of all of the labels we have worn in our lives. See yourself through your happiness instead of any false perspectives or expectations. Give yourself the chance to build yourself rather than restrict yourself.  

Make it a goal to add at least one thing to this list every couple of months, at least 6 per year. In discovering more sources of happiness and joy in our lives, we hold the key in discovering and nurturing our true selves. From here, we are free to build fuller lives free from restrictions and free from limitations. Join me & start today! Share with your loved ones! Start a generation of transformation!