Who Are You?

Identity is important to us humans. We desire labels and a definition to who we are. We are desperate to pinpoint individual aspects of ourselves to establish our place in the world. Whether it is our schooling, job, or even being a parent, which is also a full-time job, we are guilty of defining ourselves in our activities. I, for instance, define myself as a writer and a storyteller. While this is true, I am not only a writer. Words do not pump my blood because my heart does that; my body is more than paper and pens wrapped up in my bones and my muscles. It is difficult to look in the mirror, see past what we do and instead see who we are. Our true selves are self-preservative, and we protect our identities from our own person in fear of letting ourselves down. We are told to dream smaller and think realistically because who we are is not what you want. So, we grab up as many activities as we can, our personal definitions locking us away from that dream we had before. The thing about defining who you are based on activities is that they can always change. Our true selves do not change drastically. We are all good in our true selves, and certain aspects can only connect to true soul. Our dreaming and believing makes us who we are; you are who you want to be. Most people do not believe in this part of themselves because society tells us that dreaming is dangerous. Along with being the greatest chick-flick ever, Legally Blonde, starring the very talented Reese Witherspoon, inspired me as a young girl to pursue my dreams, and it is not just because we are both blonde. I may not have wanted to be a lawyer, but Elle Woods taught us much. She proclaims that we must always have faith in ourselves, even when others do not. Everyone has experienced this rejection, and we fear it. For a very young writer, I see this quite often, and it is difficult to shove the disappointment aside. This is common with everyone. We are all humans with dreams and desires. We are craving a definition of ourselves, but who we are is not just skin deep. It goes past this into what we believe and what we would do to make it happen. I am not just a writer, just like you are not just an office drone or a soccer mom. We are more than what we do. Our identity is what we believe ourselves to be. We are who we dream to be. You do not have to be Elle Woods, a blonde, spunky lawyer to achieve dreams. Even though it is good to keep reality in mind, I believe our dreams are within reach, and with hard work, it will happen. So, the first step to mastering our identities is dreaming harder. With perseverance, we can all do it. Together.