I07 · Identity and Personal Change
Identity and self-worth
Tying self-worth to external labels or clinging to an outdated self-concept.
Cues
Showing 8 of 8 cues
“To realize here and now that our innermost personality is something we create as we go along rather than something we discover lurking in our insides or imposed upon [us] from without.”
“To “give style” to one’s character - a great and rare art. It is practiced by those who survey all the strengths and weaknesses of their nature and then fit them into an artistic plan until every one of them appears as art and reason and even weaknesses delight the eye.”
Excellence is its own reward
Creating one's own life requires judging self-worth by self-generated ideals; applause or disdain from others becomes insignificant because attaining excellence itself bestows pride, fulfilment and true self-esteem.
“Maturation and integration can take place within the isolated individual to a greater extent than I had allowed for ... introverted creators are able to define identity and achieve self-realization by self-reference, that is, by interacting with their work rather than by interacting with other people.”
“Put up with being laughed at on occasion; look around you, and give yourself a good shaking to find out who you really are.”
“Attunement to self is best characterized by the image of free flow, the flowing into [awareness] of thoughts, desires, and emotions with no sense of censorship or management, together with a free-flowing access backwards towards their origins.”
“I begin to have intimations, now, of a return to some deep self that has been too absorbed and too battered to function for a long time.”
“Nobody can build the bridge for you to walk across the river of life, no one but you yourself alone. There are, to be sure, countless paths and bridges and demi-gods which would carry you across this river; but only at the cost of yourself; you would pawn yourself and lose. There is in the world only one way, on which nobody can go, except you: where does it lead?”