False Identities

There are some beliefs about identity that can lead you astray.  The problem is that they can be pretty powerful and they can naturally occur.  The big ones are believing that you are:

• Who you know/hang out with – you are you – not who you know
• What you look like – the classic pitfall and all too powerful
• How much money you have – this can haunt you in adult life also
• Bad things you’ve done – it has to be really bad to define you too much, so learn and move on
• Status symbols you acquire – not necessarily too bad unless you rely too much or exclusively on them
• Forbidden behaviors you have adopted – this can be high risk and dangerous – and these behaviors are usually about reacting against someone or something vs. being authentically you
• Defined by being rebellious – can go too far unnecessarily
• Defined by cliquish exclusion – easy to fall prey to this one – don’t give them the power

These factors may affect your identity, but they should not be the core of it.  There is far more to you than these factors.