Idenities, we have more than one.
Identities are a complicated thing, but don’t need to be. When it comes to identifying who you are as a person, it should come back to your morals and values. What makes you, you?
Identities are necessary to keep you grounded and aware that you are so much more than one individual title. We see struggles with this in athletes when all they have known is the sport they play. Whether they played multiple sports or not, being an athlete is all they have known. When asked who are you? It is often answered as “an athlete” or “I am ____ and I play ____”.
The first thing I want to say is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with your main identifier being an athlete or being proud of the fact that you are an athlete. Where we see struggles occur is when that is your ONLY identity. The purpose of understanding all of your identities and wearing them proudly is to protect yourself when one of them is gone.
Earlier this week on the Athlete Degree, I asked the questions:
“If you could no longer identify as an athlete, who would you be?”
“If you could no longer identify as a parent/caregiver, who would you be?”
“If you could no longer identify as a/an (insert job), who would you be?”
“If you could no longer identify as a student, who would you be?”
My goal of this was for you to consider who you would be if your only identity was taken away from you. May people go through life identifying themselves as one thing, an athlete, parent, coach, student, teacher, etc. If something happened and you could no longer be an athlete or parent, coach, student, teach, etc. who would you be? If that question causes you to panic, then we need to discover who you are outside of that one thing.
If you received an unfortunate career ending injury, is your life over or just one stage of your life?
If your kids moved away for school or started their own families, causing you to be on you own for the first time in 18+ years, does your purpose no longer exist or are you onto a new stage of your life?
If you got let go from a job you’ve committed to and loved for years, are you spiraling or are you onto new opportunities?
If you graduated with the degree you’ve worked so hard to get and are now on your own, are you panicking or excited for the new stage of life?
Recognizing you are more than one identity can save you from ongoing panic, let down, depression or scary moments. It can save you from feeling like your purpose is no longer gone, but just one part of your life has a chapter closing which is giving opportunity for a new part of your life to begin.
The goal should be to go through life knowing exactly who you are and even if one piece of you is gone, you still have so much more to you. Being an athlete can be a huge, amazing part of you, but not all of who you are. Being a parent or caregiver can be what you currently identify as primarily, but not completely who you are. Being a coach could be your career and what you love to do, but not the only thing about you. Knowing all that you are can save you from feeling lost when one thing about you changes. You don’t need to diminish one identity to recognize all of them, but recognizing all of them can save you from losing one of them.
Identities are fun, beautiful and can change as you grow. Don’t limit yourself to just one, but lift up and celebrate every single one!
