Lets say you’re an artist or crafter who sells their wares and find yourself in need of business cards. You sit down to order (or design) them and are suddenly faced with that little section where you are expected to fill in your title..If you weren’t prepared for the question, would your mind suddenly flood with seemingly conflicting images and terms, swirling in a maelstrom of equally conflicting feelings? OK, perhaps that’s a bit dramatic but it happens for those of us who are still in the throes of self-discovery on some level (and over-think and question absolutely everything). Some of us automatically think of the deeper ramifications of the question, as if there’s some all-powerful force that will pin you permanently to the wall you’ve defined in that moment. So, you either leave that part blank or bite your lip and type what you think is expected. (Remember, were talking about you here, not me.)
After reading Tara Gentile’s post about labeling ourselves on Scoutie Girl this morning, all these carefully repressed feeling have resurfaced. Thanks a lot, Tara!
Seriously, though, it is an important issue in regards to our dreams and the goals we set. What we say about ourselves not only influences what others think of us (unfortunately, this does matter to a degree if you aren’t a hermit) but what we believe about ourselves, who we are and what we can achieve..
Silly though it may seem to the supremely self-confident, I have spent painful hours of internal debate deciding what title to give myself on my business cards! I’m still not comfortable with owner/designer. Why? Because there’s so much more to what I do. Because I don’t want to seem arrogant. Because I want to be liked. Because it depends where I am, who’s asking and what I need or want them to know. Because I have issues! OK? ok…
Of course, this is much deeper than business cards. Tara was likely asking us to look beyond the surface. She’s like that… We define ourselves every day. Who am I? Someone’s mom? Someone’s wife, daughter, sister, cousin, friend? Office manager, business owner, artist, crafter, designer? Computer addict, gamer, closet Trekkie? Yes. And so very much more.
Then there are the things we don’t necessarily want other people to know. We don’t need to go there, do we? Didn’t think so.
So, what’s your label? Who are you? Do you struggle with labels, too? Maybe we could start a support group: Label Rejectors Anonymous.
