Our personal identities play a vital role in determining our perceptions, our relationships and the direction our lives take. You can only live to the best of your ability when you are truly certain of who you are, where you are coming from, where you are going and what you stand for.

A secure identity gives you freedom to live a full life

Your view of self determines your interpretation of the situations in your life and how you respond to them. In essence, the identity you have formed around yourself will determine the way you live.

This self-definition determines the way you engage in the face of a challenge. Viewing yourself as weak and disadvantaged sets you up for failure; but seeing yourself as one capable of winning, opens the doors of opportunity for you.

The losing attitude

The “smallness” attitude towards self, in the midst of challenges, locks your mind from exploring the strengths you already have that would serve as an advantage against the challenge. Many of us fail because we see ourselves as victims even before we attempt the challenge at hand. This attitude that is largely driven by fear keeps you from daring to do what is within your ability, to dissolve the challenge.

A winning life therefore, must begin with the important question of WHO AM I? Finding your true identity -knowing the “true you”– begins you on a journey of purposeful living and frees you to LIVE YOUR LIFE IN YOUR OWN TERMS.

What defines you?

In a world where people are drawing definitions from so many things ranging from, careers, financial status, family name, social affiliations, political affiliations… and so on, what really defines you? Would any of these things, if stripped off your life, affect your identity? Would you still hold your head high and walk tall among men feeling secure about who you are, soldering on to build a meaningful life for yourself?

A true definition of self starts from within and extends to the outside. Other external factors like social-economic status, career titles, family name… and so on, are ornaments that add glamour to what already exists but they should never become the source of your identity. If they do, then the definition drawn from them would only be temporary and unsustainable.

The treasure within

There lies a treasure within you that gives your life greater meaning than any riches or relationships ever will. That treasure bears the potential to propel you to greatness and to serve the good of humanity. It makes you unique and absolutely necessary for this life because what you can offer the world, if you stirred up that treasure and made it useful, can never be offered by any other person. Remember that YOU ARE THE ONLY YOU THAT EXISTS ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

When you choose to suppress the real you and adopt a fake identity in order to meet the expectations of others, you are being unjust to yourself and to the world by denying it the unique experience it would have received from the value of the unique resource within you. Max Lucado uniquely put it this way, “You are the only you God made… God made you and broke the mould.”  Picture then, the unique identity you bear, the unique potential you possess, the unique value you can offer, and its effect upon humanity. That treasure makes you relevant despite your circumstance.

The empowering discovery

Discovering the treasure within you empowers you to influence; gives you legitimacy and makes your presence felt among humanity. That treasure is the potential you bear to make that unique positive contribution in the earth. It is in the unique deposit of gifts, talents, and the passion that lies within you. This deposit is not dependent on your physical circumstance and expressing it in the earth is what you were born to do.

Undiscovered talents, gift and passion are like undiscovered mineral deposits that lie idle and unhelpful causing the owners of the land sometimes to live in abject poverty unaware of the wealth they are sitting on. Your undiscovered gifts and talents remain useless and unhelpful to you and to the world around you.

The treasure within you needs to be discovered and requires awakening, a right attitude and appropriate action. Deliberately seek to discover the unique potential within you, treat it with the worth it deserves, and engage in appropriate activities that will foster its development and enable it to produce something that you can offer the world.

The process of defining oneself is therefore a journey of intense self seeking that allows you to lay hold of the treasure within you and bring out the best out of it.

A secure identity that proceeds from within produces the passion that gives you the momentum to pursue your dreams undeterred. It sets your life’s agenda and puts you in charge of your own life. Instead of playing life’s victim, you seek to do what you can with what is available to you in order to live the best life you can. You stand empowered!

Do you feel completely confident about who you are?

To get in touch with the author, send email to evah@evahnjauini.com