What’s On My Name Tag

At an event, everyone gets a name tag:

“Hello, my name is _______, and I am ________.”

If you were to fill in the blanks, what would your name tag say?

Who am I? Everyone struggles with this question. Some face it in high school, some in college, and others wait years to ask it. It’s tough to confront and deal with, but it’s got to be sorted out. Without knowing solidly who I am, I can’t be truly happy or even relate to others.

One of the issues is that people rely on outside sources to determine their own identities. Some take their parent’s perspective on life. Some change themselves based on the latest pop culture fads. Some link themselves to significant others, adapting from relationship to relationship. Some decide their identity based on their hobbies, talents, or occupation. Some run away from themselves for as long as they can stay in hiding.

If an “identity” is easy to change to fit surroundings and circumstances, it isn’t really yours. Sure, some of the people you know and things you do can be facets of your identity, but that can’t be its entirety. Without a changeable identity, it’s inevitable that some people will dislike you, but some people will love you. And those are the ones that really matter.

The fact of the matter is that I can’t please everyone. I can’t force anyone to like me. I can’t simply go against my personality, even when it would be easier. I can’t wish I were anyone else. It reaches a point where you can take me or leave me, but I’ll still just be me.

So, my name tag is pretty plain and simple:

“Hello, my name is Renee, and I am me.”