I have been thinking about this a lot lately! I keep hearing people call themselves something, and then their whole consciousness revolves around that.

Your label is your limit. What do I mean by that?
Ever notice how we tend to label ourselves or others? It happens all the time!!

• I am a maths and science person (inferring NOT an arts person).

• I am ADD or ADHD

• I am depressed.

• I am anxious.

• I am stupid (or not very smart).

• I am NOT a salesperson.

• I am gorgeous.

• I am a perfectionist.

• I am a germaphobe

• I am disabled.

• I am unlucky.

• I am poor.

I could go on and on. On the one hand labels can be useful in describing PART of who and what you are.

But you are so much more than the label.

On the other hand, we often tend to take ownership of that label and live our lives through it. For example, I am ADHD therefore I can expect certain behaviours of myself and also expect certain challenges to always be there for me.

Now I am not arguing against any kind of diagnosis, but again we are so much more than the label and I think too often we take on that label so thoroughly that it becomes embedded in our belief system and limits us.
As Joel Osteen so aptly put it “Whatever follows ‘I am …’ is going to come looking for you!”
We can only go as far as our beliefs allow. That’s a fact. These types of labels embed themselves in our self-image and you can’t outperform your self-image. You can change it, and that’s what I work on with people, but you cannot outperform it. And we all know that we become what we repeatedly think about, so keep telling yourself you are anxious or unlucky and you will be, or that you are not a salesperson and you won’t be.

We wear like a winter coat the label that we attach to ourselves and we become one with it – which makes it very hard to move past it. That label will always be your limit.

Are there positive and powerful labels? Of course, for example I am successful, I am powerful, I am beautiful. These types of labels are most often serving us. That’s not my concern. It’s the labels with a negative association that limit us and don’t serve us. Again, the label causes us to expect certain challenges and obstacles for ourselves. Even some of the positive ones still put limits on us. “I am beautiful” can be a wonderful thing to embrace about yourself, but if it stops you from ever showing yourself in public unless you are fully coifed and made-up – that’s very limiting.
See what I mean?

Here’s the beautiful thing, and why I want you to think beyond the label.
No matter whether you are educated or not, smart or not, beautiful or not, ADHD or not, disabled or not, poor or not … YOU ARE STILL A GOLD MINE OF TALENT AND CAPABILITY!

There’s no limit to what you are capable of, regardless of ANY label.
Don’t label yourself!! It too often is snuffing out your creativity and initiative. Your spirit is perfect and is ALWAYS about expansion and fuller expression!! You are truly capable of soaring!!!

NO MATTER THE LABEL!
So please don’t label yourself. In many cases (e.g. depressed, ADHD), use the label to understand what’s going on with yourself and to embrace methods to help you address it, but don’t wear that label like an all encompassing coat. It does not need to be the whole of what you are!! It ISN’T!!

YOU ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT!!

With gratitude and inspiration,
Sandy Rutherford