Call them labels, stories, characteristics. Call them signatures, traits, even genes. Whatever you call them, the categories other people place us in--or the labels others give us (and especially the ones we give ourselves) can result in limitations.
Like the Sesame Street segment and song about "which one of these doesn't belong," it is natural for the human mind to sort and categorize. It's the way we map out the world. The way we make sense of the things and people around us, and in early development it is naturally taught and encouraged. Sorting blocks: the triangle plastic piece only fits in the triangular space.
As we age, and especially during adolescence, labels and categories not only become more important to development, but they also become more powerful: the jocks, the nerds, the princesses. The task of "which friend group will I belong to" becomes more about what's on the outside--what we do, how we dress, who we talk to--than what is on the inside. I've watched it happen as a teenager myself, as a teacher, and now as a parent. I've watched how labels first work to identify, and then become rigid and limiting.
There are myriad ways in which art seeks to dismantle the limitations of labels. Even popular culture now attempts to send a different message to teens. The premise of the highly popular movie, High School Musical is that the geeky girl gets the adorable jock as they bond through musical theatre. An unlikely story? Maybe, though even in the movie, stereotypes abound. But, sometimes we don't give our pop-culture-crazed teens enough credit for being individuals. And the term "teenager" becomes its own limiting label.
Think about your own labels. Who gave them to you, and which ones did you give yourself? Examine them. Where did they come from? How have they defined you? How have they helped you? Or how have they limited you?
Look deep into your Self and identify the things that make you happy, the words that feel good. Now take the labels, the categories, the stories and hold them up against who you believe your Self to truly be. Your best Self. The Self you strive to be. If they align, immerse yourself in that feeling of contentment. If there is discord in your heart, begin to let go of the particular labels and categories that make you feel uneasy. Find ways to change them--incorporating the opposite, or positive label into a mantra or affirmation.
We naturally sort and label, but we also have the natural capability to look beyond the definitions of things and people. When we look upon our Selves and Others as being limitless, new opportunities, ideas, and feelings open up.
Lovely!
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