This is Your Identity Guide.
It aims to help you outline a more complete sense of self that enriches your life with meaning.
From where do you derive your sense of self?
Building Your Parthenon
Dear Reader,
The Parthenon is an architectural marvel in Greece that was built to honor the goddess, Athena. In its prime, it held 46 outer columns, each detailed with 20 grooves that stretched down its length and a unique curve that gave every column its own place in the completed structure. It was so wonderfully built that even after losing half of the architectural decoration throughout the years, its basic structure remains intact to this day. Today, people travel from all over the world to see it in person 2400 years later.
Much like the Parthenon, a strong sense of identity is built with numerous columns and beautiful grooves that detail every inch of its length. A healthy identity doesn’t depend on any one column alone to hold the weight of its entire existence, but finds beauty and meaning in each pillar, allowing room for ongoing failure and growth in every area of your life. In the same light, self-discovery is about expanding your sense of self, building new columns that can help carry the weight of your existence, and bringing depth and meaning to your life.
This guide wasn’t meant to judge or replace your old identity, but to help you see your untapped potential. It’s written to guide your exploration to new areas of your life that you can begin to develop and detail, allowing you to experience life’s full depth and richness. It invites you to be the architect of your own life, identifying where a new column can be built, where an old column can be reinforced, or where a column can be detailed to bring new meaning to the complete structure.
Chris X
What does your authentic self look like today?
To Your Growing Self
This guide was written as an extension of the "Dangers of Identity" assessment. As you go through the cards below, refer to your results to gain a better understanding of how you'd like to begin expanding your sense of self today.
Moments
How do you identify with the key moments in your life?
I honor my past as a part of my story. While I don't let it define who I am, I leverage my experiences to guide my steps toward who I can become. I learn what I can from my mistakes and trust in my ability to improve as I continue on in my journey. When I reflect on my best days, my mind is flooded with cherished memories from my past and exciting plans for my future. When I look to my future, I see new ways I can grow and new adventures to experience.
Inspiration
How do you identify with your sense of inspiration?
I recognize I don't need to decide between my passions and responsibilities. I approach cultivating my passions with the same dedication and devotion as I bring to my responsibilities. And I approach my responsibilities with the same curiosity, fascination, and wonder as my passions. As I make time for my responsibilities, I make time for my passions, carefully prioritizing how I spend my time. While demanding, I get to wake up every morning with a sense of wonder and go to bed every night with a sense of order.
Boundaries
How do you identify with your limitations?
I rely on my limitations to help me discover who I am as I grow past them rather than seeing them as defining traits that limit my future. I acknowledge them not as weaknesses, but as opportunities to build and demonstrate my strength. When I embark on new adventures, I seek to balance the limits of my boundaries with my willing enthusiasm to grow. By honoring both my limits and my potential, I create a healthy foundation to encourage my ongoing self-discovery.
Conversations
How do you identify with your self-talk?
While I allow myself to appreciate the beauty of each unfolding moment, I hold the wisdom to pause, step back, and reflect on the bigger picture of my life as I require, to live creatively and authentically to who I am. When my situations demand, I trust my instincts to make decisions in the moment without being paralyzed by the need for perfection. I realize not every decision demands exhaustive contemplation while carefully planned adventures can still be enjoyed and appreciated.
Environment
How do you identify with your surroundings?
While I respect the influence of my surroundings on my decisions, I also honor my own influence by taking responsibility for how I conduct myself. I take proactive steps to improve my surroundings where I can, cultivating an atmosphere that supports my progress toward who I want to become and how I want to live. If I ever struggle to adapt to my surroundings, I find new surroundings where my identity and goals have room to grow. I don't seek to improve my environments out of the fear they may hold me back, but out of appreciation and gratitude for how they provide for me. I care for the spaces I occupy the best I can, seeking to leave each space better than I found it. In this way, I build a relationship with my environment where my growth and authenticity are encouraged and find new expression.
Relationships
How do you identify with your relationships?
I embrace my relationships as opportunities for mutual growth, support, and understanding, rather than as measures of comparison or sources of validation. I value my own needs, desires, and boundaries while respecting the needs and expectations of others. I feel genuine happiness when hearing about the success of others as I recognize their achievements do not diminish my own. I understand that not everyone appreciates or even respects me, but I find happiness in the appreciation and respect I have for myself. While I don't share a deep connection with everyone, within the relationships I do share a connection, I find inspiration, encouragement, and support in expressing my authentic self, as my individuality is the basis of the trust and respect others have for me. In nurturing these relationships, I feel a deep sense of belonging that expands my joy for life.
Resilience
How do you identify with your sense of resilience?
While I embrace life's difficulties as valuable lessons and opportunities to grow, I also acknowledge there's more meaning to life than just overcoming hardships. I face my adversities with courage and determination as my journey demands, striving to direct my efforts toward the most meaningful ends. I celebrate my resilience not just for what it allows me to endure, but for who it encourages me to be and what it empowers me to create. I gratefully receive the willing support of others and contribute to others in the same spirit, embracing a deeper sense of resilience through my peers.
Emotions
How do you identify with your emotions?
I know I am more than just what I feel, but I also acknowledge every emotion serves a purpose in my life. While not always accurate, I see them as a part of my wisdom that guides my path to my well-being. By allowing myself to experience, process, and consider my emotions, I empower my emotions to support my authentic growth. Even though emotions can be overwhelming at times, I acknowledge my responses to the emotions I feel are always within my control. Instead of living my life chasing or running from certain feelings, I encourage my emotions to come and go as they please while keeping the most supportive as close friends. By learning to manage my own emotions, I form a deeper connection with others, supporting them from a place of understanding rather than judgment.
Meaning
How do you identify with the sense of meaning in your life?
I feel a sense of purpose not only in the grand moments of my life, but also in the small moments that fill my day. My purpose encourages me to explore how I can contribute to others in new ways that align with my values and well-being. As I grow, I take time to realign myself with my purpose so that my purpose can grow alongside me. Through my purpose, I find the wisdom to balance striving to do all I can while appreciating all I have. My purpose encourages me to contribute from a place of love and abundance rather than from a place of fear and scarcity. I recognize my purpose isn't a solution to every problem in my life, but a sense of direction that enriches my problems with a greater meaning, integrating my life as a whole.
Wisdom
How do you identify with your sense of wisdom?
I view my wisdom not as a sense of intuition that I have or don't have, but as an ongoing journey of reflection and discovery. While I value the lessons of my experiences and use them to inform my decisions, I remain curious and open to new perspectives, understanding others' wisdom can only deepen my own. I embrace making mistakes as a natural part of my life, seeing my failures as opportunities to refine my understanding and judgments of the world. I recognize the value of sharing my wisdom with others, not as an authority, but as a fellow traveler on the path of improvement, encouraging others to trust in their own wisdom as I trust in mine. I trust my wisdom to help me integrate my past experiences with my curiosity for what lies ahead, encouraging me to define long-term goals and align myself with living a life that feels authentic to me.
Legacy
How do you identify with your legacy?
I view legacy not only as what I will have contributed by the end of my life, but as a living vision that guides how I engage with others and the world today. I aim to contribute to the lives of others in ways that align with my personal goals, ensuring my efforts are sustainable and beneficial to all, including myself. I embrace the idea that my personal growth supports my ability to inspire and uplift others, showing that self-care and generosity are not mutually exclusive. I strive to find harmony in giving and receiving, understanding that both are essential to building a legacy that inspires a sense of connection, trust, and unity. I don't give out of the fear of being forgotten, but as a celebration of my shared humanity.
Goals
How do you identify with your goals?
I recognize my goals are an essential part of who I am, but I also understand my identity and value extend far beyond my success or failure. I have a healthy and grounded connection to my goals that expands my appreciation for the smaller moments that make up my journey. While I look forward to completing my goals, I also enjoy the steps I learn to take along the way and cherish the depth they add to my story. Even though I strive for excellence, I understand that meaningful change requires time and effort. As I work toward my goals, I give myself the grace to feel satisfied with doing my best, knowing that my best will change from moment to moment.
Congratulations! You Have Reached The End Of This Guide.
This assessment & guide were inspired by our flagship program "A Call To Adventure".
