Before the age of seven, each of us try to find our identity in the world.
We observe how other people behave, the words they say, the actions they take. We see how others react to the words and actions we take. We begin to learn what is accepted and what isn’t.
“I do X, and Y happens”.
Overtime we form negative beliefs about ourselves. We all have these negative inner-beliefs. Examples of negative self-identities are: unlovable, not-enough, ugly, weak, poor, boring, stupid, etc.
As a young child I had decided that I was “wrong”. I had an older brother who would make fun of me and laugh at me. Nothing outside the ordinary but as a sensitive child it left a big impact. And so, I realised that I was wrong, how I thought and how I acted was wrong.
This manifested in many fears, such as fear of failure. It also manifested in many positive ways, for example I became an over-achiever.
I tell you all this to show how this realisation as a child can have a huge knock-on affect throughout our life.
So I ask you, what is the identity you created for yourself as a child?
I encourage you to dig into this, and then see how this belief has impacted your life. Learn more about yourself. Learn more about your motivations. The more we know about ourselves the more we can embrace our present and our future. Being aware is key to living a better and more fulfilled life.
