Most often, people identify with their occupation and
respond to the question “who am I?” with titles such as a doctor, a referee, a
cook, or whatever they do most throughout the day. It is important to
understand that this is not who we
are but what we do, yet most of us
are unable to provide any other answer than the description of our profession
or role in life.
On the same line, many will also provide a label for
themselves based on national, cultural or religious identification such as an
American, Chinese, Catholic, Protestant, Caucasian, etc. Again, this is not who we are but where we’re from. It refers to our background, the origin of our
development, but provides little about the individual we have become.
Self-identification is an important part of human
development, especially within the adolescent years. However, classifying
ourselves among the above categories sets the stage for in-groups versus
out-groups and self-comparisons to others within a specific label. We therefore
tend to judge ourselves in contrast to others rather than assessing our own
skills and abilities for what they are and what they can be. This, in turn,
places us within a standard in which we evaluate our performance according to a
scale from good to bad to establish whether or not we are acceptable to others.
Though we may find satisfaction in certain aspects, reaching
perfection on all levels is near impossible. When we constantly compare
ourselves to others, we regularly debase our self-image in some way because we
highlight our limits rather than shine light on our proficiencies.
Therefore, the concept of the self should include our
personal likes and dislikes, our talents and passions, our character and personal
values, etc. These are the qualities that render us unique, that separate us
from the mass, and that help lead us in the direction of our innate path in
life. It doesn’t matter if you're one of many; what matters is what makes you stand out from the crowd and renders you the best you you can be.
So let me ask you this: “who
are you?”
Since a very early age I have traveled the world in search of knowledge, experience and clarity that would provide me the foundation I needed to meet my personal goals in life. though many of these goals are still to be unraveled to me, my most important and biggest goal is the one of teaching people how they can better themselves. I do this through medical advice using natural medicine, through the knowledge of hindering neural mechanisms, and through frequent informative presentations in which I try to make the "mind-environment" connection better understood.
