The facts: My roommates and I are all about to graduate from college. We are going to get new jobs. Soon we will be moving. There has been much discussion about a new apartment or house as of late. The days of four girls in one tiny bathroom are coming to an end. Amidst this transition, Elsie and I were talking about identity a few weeks ago and how we sometimes fear getting lost in all the shuffle or forgetting who we really are. We fear getting caught up in what the world wants us to be or believes we should demonstrate ourselves as. First and foremost, our identities are in Christ. But beyond that, we started wondering.
We talked about it with friends, boyfriends, family, to see what they thought. The whole conversation ended with a group of us making lists about what makes up who we are and then trading. I have to admit, it was difficult at first. I started listing out facts about myself: I'm 5 feet, 4 inches tall, I grew up in a suburb, I am right-handed, etc. And then, after I exhausted facts, it was even harder to stay away from simply listing likes and dislikes. Not that those are bad, but I wanted to get deeper. Who am I really?
I ended up writing things out that I had never truly realized about myself. And once I got past the first couple of pages, it was hard to stop. I capped it at five, but I think this is an exercise that I could probably revisit every sixth months and come up with a whole new slew of characteristics.
I always think that it's really constructive for people to push toward self-awareness, so I would encourage you, if you've never done something like this before, to give it a try. Your list can look like anything. Mine ended up as boxes (see picture below), but maybe you'll write in pictures or one-word descriptions or write out everything vertically. Take your time. List both the good and the bad. Let it come out over a few days or weeks. Be patient with yourself. I can guarantee you'll be surprised.
