I am a Virgo, and a procrastinator, and a hockey fan, a brother, an uncle, and a son. There’s a lot of things that make up the person that comes on these videos every day. There’s a lot of things that make you up. Taken all together these make up your identity. Each one of those is an identity unto itself. Calling myself a Virgo and a procrastinator, are two different parts of my identity, and honestly, they are two parts that have never served me. Sitting there and telling people out loud and believing in my head that I am a procrastinator just continues to perpetuate that momentum of being a procrastinator every single day.
It’s one thing to ask me what sign I am and I respond I’m a Virgo, but it’s a whole different thing to tell somebody, “well I made that decision because I’m a Virgo.” I have a master’s degree in engineering from Cal State Fullerton. My undergrad degree is from Michigan Tech. Two of the best engineering schools in the country. It’s great to be an engineer, but then to say, “I’m an engineer because I’m a Virgo, because Virgos think very black and white,” doesn’t serve me either. All those identities, the Virgo and the procrastinator have served to do is entrap me. Entrap me into bad habits and give me excuses and to perpetuate a myth within myself and within my identity.
I’m happy to say that today I’ve recognized these for well over a year and I have actively worked to dispel those myths within my body and within my brain. I no longer make excuses that I did something because I’m a Virgo. I no longer tell people that I’m a procrastinator, and more importantly, I no longer tell myself I’m a procrastinator. My identity is that I’m a successful, engaging entrepreneur. That’s a much more powerful identity than I’m a Virgo and I’m a procrastinator.
As another example. Being a hockey fan is a great thing. Being a fan of any sport is a great thing provided it’s done in a healthy way. There’s so much of what we see in sports identity today that’s not done in a healthy way. To those people that get in fights in the stands, com’on it’s just a sport already. It’s okay to identify. It’s okay to wear the jerseys and enjoy the sport. It’s OK to really get into it and root for your team. To get in a fight either physical or verbal, is just wrong. I don’t care what it’s about, you’re taking it too damn far at that point. The Olympics are a great thing. The Olympics are meant to bring out the best in the athletes because they’re competing against the best of the best, and they’re also meant to bring out the best in us. They don’t always do that though, do they?
I’m going to leave you as most times I want to leave you with a question today, what is your identity and what are those identities within that that are no longer serving you? Think about that. The next step is, what are you going to do to change them?