“In the modern world we look outside of ourselves to explain everything.
Discovering your identity to unlock your emerging future is an introspective journey.”
Phil Stutz
The Reductionist’s Evaluation:
There are two definitions of identity – one recognized, in fact, lauded by the external world. The reductionist perspective categorizes humans much like the scientific classification system developed by Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century.
These include outward appearances of race, gender, country of origin, outward or assumed manifestations of religion or belief system, generational stereotypes, political affiliation and other labels. The reductionist view diminishes what makes us unique and valuable to others as individuals – leading to weak assumptions about who a person is or can become and assumes limitations or privileges. (Berry)1 Using a classification system is a poor descriptor of a person’s identity and their potential effect on people and their community.
Your Virtuous Identity:
The virtuous definition of identity – recognizes individuality and supports the uniqueness of your innate personality, passions, lived experiences and how you are received and regarded by others when you create and share your art in the service of others. (Godin)2
Identity is Something You Become (First Do – Then Be)
Identity is something you become – requiring daily practice and effort. Contrary to the reductionist’s classification system, people are not born with their virtuous identity. The Universe calls on you to discover and grow your unique identity.
“The problem is – most people don’t know how to develop their own identity.
Emotional independence requires work.” (Stutz).
- Character – Who you are – How do people regard you?
- Relationships – Who really knows you?
- Knowledge – What I Know/What I don’t Know = Confident Humility
- Intuition and Instinct – How your feelings motivate you.
- Experiences – Where you’ve been.
- Past Success – The mistakes and failures you’ve overcome.
- Ability – what you can do.
Personal Inquiry:
What is your plan for personal growth?
Who are the five people you spend the most time with? What potential effect do they have on your identity?
What are the last five books you’ve read? What secrets were revealed?
What questions do you seek insight and answers to?
A Purposeful Journey Allows You to Make Decisions to Shape Your Emerging Future.
The virtuous construct allows us to answer the following questions for every important decision and interaction we make in our lives:
Who am I?
What kind of situation is this?
What would someone like me do in this situation?
When a person discovers and creates their identity, they unlock their ability to experience flow. These are experiences where you purposefully seek opportunities that are Highly Challenging – requiring your Highest Abilities.
Most people experience flow by accident. Discovering, creating and practicing your identity radically improves your opportunity to experience flow by creating Art in the service of others.
Having a real identity means being responsible for your own forward motion through life. As Stutz shares:
You wake up each morning with nothing.
You are impoverished until you rebuild your identity with disciplined actions.
Accepting this commits you to unending effort.
When your build your virtuous identify it provides you with:
- True Perspective
- Emotional Integrity
- Increasing Confidence in Decision Making
- Clarifies the Big Picture, and
- Takes Good Experience and Makes it Valuable Experience. (Maxwell)
Footnotes:
- Berry characterizes this type of reasoning as something a terrapin can run over.
- Seth Godin encourages us to adopt the Artist archetype. We are on this earth to create Art in the service of others. I’ve replaced the word “Work” with “Art”, in my mind. Asking myself: “What Art am I creating today”. Compare this mindset to: “what Work am I completing today.” Which frame is more inspirational?
Reading and References:
Stutz, Phil. Lessons for Living: What Only Adversity Can Teach You, 2023
Godin, Seth, Linchpin: Are you Indispensable, 2010
Maxwell, John C. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You. 10th
Anniversary Edition, 2007
Berry, Wendell, Life is a Miracle, an Essay Against Modern Superstition, 2000
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, 1990
Scharmer, C. O. Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges, 2009
