Let's face it we have all come across a particular person who protects at all costs the labels that other people, professionals or themselves have assigned to them.
My friend's, labels are for tin cans and tin cans only. They're not designed for human consumption.
Why? When either a professional, another person or the individual puts these labels upon them, it automatically caps their ability to think outside the box and degrades them to grow their capabilities.
The main problem here is that when people attach themselves to these labels, they believe that these labels are the core of their character and personality and they even identify with them.
If we ever want to scribble out these labels, we must create a level of awareness around how these labels can and will affect how we behave, think and feel towards other people, ourselves and the world.
The challenge comes when people do not like to be corrected, and many struggle with accepting perspectives outside their own unless those perspectives offer support to the beliefs or the perspectives they already hold.
Take me for example, growing up I struggled with anger whenever a situation came about that I did not know how to handle my initial reaction was anger and as time passed people quickly labelled me as angry.
Then before I knew it I started to identify myself as being angry and I truly believed that was who I was "the angry kid". Comments would be made "don't make him angry" and I would get angry at those types of comments.
Another example is somebody goes to the doctor and tells them they are feeling anxious, the doctor asks a certain set of questions about how they are feeling and then prescribes them medication, labelling them an anxious person.
This person then leaves the doctor being labelled an anxious person, then when a situation arises the first thing they say is " I can't it makes me feel anxious" subscribing to the very label the "doctor" has given them.
I understand this may be a bit controversial and in no way am I a doctor or that these experiences are not really what I am suggesting is that it seems easier to label people and medicate them than to take the time to talk and to help the individual understand themselves and the experience they are having.
When we are talking labels, keep in mind that they should be for food cans, t-shirts or even cars, why? Because when we label things we are giving them definite and complete purpose. As human beings, I think it's fair to suggest that change is constant and that we are not doomed by a certain fate or path.
We may find that the labels assigned to us are somewhat true but that's only for that moment in time as change is constant, regardless of how we perceive life we grow, develop and change until the day we die.
For those who do identify that change is inevitable they understand that their capabilities for learning are not defined by a label put upon them.
Once we can recognize this, this helps us to develop up and out of the labels that either we or others have placed.
If we do decide to live by labels, subscribe to those that bring the best out of us, those that enhance growth, maturity, and development and those that enable us to make better and more wise decisions.
For instance, if we label ourselves as creative, we will always strive to become more creative.
If on the other hand, we subscribe to the label of being a victim of life then the chances are we are never going to take responsibility for ourselves and will always be of the mindset that the world is out to get us and never experience anything meaningful.
Life becomes challenging when we identify and live by labels that do not support us in a growth-orientated way. When limiting labels are subscribed we never seek to go beyond them but rather live up to them.
What restricting labels can you identify that you subscribe to? And why do you subscribe to them?
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