What do you think about more?: identify or contribution
- Thread starter Gaze
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Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is that what I achieve and who I am are interconnected. I mean, my personality is always trying to improve on and achieve a higher level of consciousness and awareness, so, it's hard for me to separate who I am and what I can achieve.
Who I am is a series of my achievements because I perceive my achievements from mostly a personal realm rather than an external realm. Does that make sense? I mean, I'm not thinking about achievements from the perspective of external events or accomplishments. I'm thinking about achievements as milestones in my personal life that shaped and helped me become who I am. Now I'm asking myself if I'm making sense.
Tin Man
"a respectable amount of screaming"
I suppose I think more about the former - who I am, where I'm going, etc. That's not to say I don't care about what I can achieve, but they aren't as important to me as my identity. I see achievements as more a part of my professional self, more connected with the physical world. Who I am is more of an internal, spiritual matter and is more important to me.
Out of curiosity why do you ask?
Out of curiosity why do you ask?
As far as I can tell I can spend day after day on thinking about or trying to improve things about my self, while nothing gets done, and I get no closer in any measurable way to a satisfactory point of personality development. It seems like a lot of interrogation over nothing. I don't care who I am.
I was meeting with a group of people for a meetup yesterday, and I realized that much of the focus from those who spoke was about who they are based on what they do and a few others were focused on what they've accomplished, so it inspired me to think about this question. This group of women were in their late 30s, 40s.
To answer the question, I started comparing their focus to mine. I realized my focus has changed lately. I no longer focus as much on who I am as a person. I don't consciously think about it as much. Now, I focus on what to do with what I have. Feelings about who I am seem almost irrelevant or waste of time. So, now I spend more time thinking about what I can do with who I am.
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I think about both equally. Who am I, is a natural progression from what am I... If we don't know what we are, how can we know who we are? And if we don't know who we are, how can we know what we are? I think the answers to both questions are interwoven in a multi faceted and multi layered manner.
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These two are really easily tied together. I go through my days consciously blotting out negative self-talk and focusing as much as possible on what's in front of me, who I'm working with, or a task that needs completed. My days can quickly fall into disarray if I don't at least set up little spring-traps like mantras to trigger my attention. Managing anxiety on one hand and mooring wandering thoughts on the other, I try not to focus on my faults or limits and do what I can each day to seek at least part of the fulfillment I strive for. Self-doubt and regret are for reflection at the end of the day, and even then, what's done is done.
Frank Herbert's line from Dune is a favorite quote about how growth and development lie on the far end of fear:
I think about both, but on balance, I think about who I am more. When I am thinking about doing, I don't think about myself much, but about the particular task/project.
Who I am, and what is important to me is what I'd call my internal life (meaning/values/growth). My external interacting life is more about what I'm doing, than about myself who does it (task focused).
Who I am, and what is important to me is what I'd call my internal life (meaning/values/growth). My external interacting life is more about what I'm doing, than about myself who does it (task focused).
- Aug 21, 2015
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What I can achieve and what I can contribute are far more important than 'who I am'. I've known who I am all my life. Unfortunately, in order to achieve, I must use my skills, talents and mind, and stay aware of my shortcomings, so it becomes a cycle of thinking about self in order to achieve and contribute. Also, whatever I achieve (or fail at) will define me, so again, it is cyclical.
I believe the two are heavily intertwined for me.
As such, I believe they both matter equally because they are the same.
I'll try to explain in hopes of conveing my view on this.
To me, someone is who they are based on what they intend to do, work towards becoming and the point at which they are along their path in achieving this.
As for contributing, part of the things I work towards is contributing the best I can in my own way.
To me, someone is NOT what they've been through, what has been done to them or what they used to be.
In my eyes, if you were a thief yesterday, that does not mean you are a thief tomorrow.
That is because I believe that if someone wishes to change and sincerely strives towards it, they will.
And that to me, is who you are. The person you are working towards becomming and the dreams/goals/things you are working to fulfill.
Should you not have a goal you are working towards, for your own development or for dreams to fulfill, then you for the time being, have become all you intend to be.
This is not negative, nor is it positive. It just means to me that there will be little change in who you are.
So what do I think about more ? Neither, and both. To me, they are the same.
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