Chapter 52

Labels that you put on yourself are very confining. And it seems that everyone puts lots of labels on their present self. “I am an extrovert” or “I hate asparagus” or “I can never lose this weight” and other such labels. This small mental room, known as a label, locks you down and almost always locks the door and throws away the key. It truly keeps you from entertaining other alternatives, other possibilities.

I honestly thought I was an extrovert from the time I was about eight years old, until I was 54 years old!  I was locked in that room for decades. How exhausting. Then through a series of connected compacted events, I was able to escape from that room and realize that I am much more introverted than I am extroverted. Notice that I did not say I am an introvert. Why would I exchange one locked room for another? Stop defining yourself in such absolutes. It is confining your current version of yourself, your present self, from growth and change, which is critical to your survival and thriving. It is critical to your future self.

You are not currently your past self, and your present self is transitioning to your future self. These labels you put on yourself prevent the blooming of your future self. And worse yet, they prevent the exploration and creativity of your present self. They constrain the growth of your current self. Structure is fine, labels are not. Give yourself some wiggle (growth) room in your descriptors.