Identity is often used against us | Seth's Blog

There is nothing more vulnerable than identity change. Most of us will fight like our life depends on it to protect our identity. Sadly even if that identity is detrimental to you.

When I say I don’t like your idea, I’m not saying that I don’t like you. And if we’ve been persuaded by marketers and politicians that everything we do and say is our identity, then it gets very difficult to learn, to accept useful feedback and to change.

I've just started reading Think Again which tackles this head on.

I recently got an email from someone that asked me "Are you a wine guy?". It was a fine question, totally normal. It made me chuckle though as it is an identity question. I started thinking about meditation practices of detachment. That we shouldn't define our identity by something like wine. But we do it all the time. Of course you have to have identity, but being flexible with that identity, as scary as that may seem, is needed for change.