“Di ko pa kilala sarili ko. Well, I guess that’s part of being young and yah that’s one of my aha moments. Kulang pala yung time bigay sa sararli ko para kilalangin sarili ko.” (“I don’t know myself yet. Well, I guess that’s part of being young and yah that’s one of my aha moments. I didn’t give myself enough time to get to know myself.”)
What an amazing insight from a Gen Z participant in one of my recent workshops!
The theme was core values; the principle was “core values express your identity” so I threw the question “So who are you?” Little did I know when I asked people to share their aha moments, this fellow opened up, something which he doesn’t usually do, as he is well known in the office to be the very silent type.
Lessons:
1. Contrary to Simon Sinek, you don’t start with WHY. You start with WHO. How you see yourself shapes your values, purpose, character, behavior, and eventually, destiny.
2. We are all living out our identities. The real question is if we are aware of our identities… or if we are just drifting through life day after day, doing little more than consuming space and resources.
3. Yes, the younger you are, the more you need to reflect on your identity. It would be tragic to be old and grey but you look at the mirror and see a complete stranger.
4. It is never too late to figure out who you are and who you want to be. And our ideas of self-identity will likely evolve and mature over time. I know that I am not the same Nelson Dy ten, twenty, or thirty years ago.
5. Last, we need an identity that is independent of what we do and unshakeable no matter what happens around us. I found my identity as a child of God, that I am God’s beloved, that whether I lose my job, my health, my possessions. my identity is still intact.
So, have you spent time exploring who you are?
November 28, 2023
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