Identity

Identity. 

When considering your identity, what comes to mind?

Has it changed over time? 

I identified as a teacher for the majority of my life. It was hard for me to let go of that role and move onto something else.  Moreover, although I will always be a mother, my role as a parent to an adult is quite different than before.  

In fact, becoming both a retiree and an empty nester pretty much at the same time required an adjustment period of several years.  For me beginning a new identity as a writer helped make the transition easier. Replacing one identity with another isn't always easy, but it does contribute greatly to your happiness and sense of purpose. 

What redifining entails, though, is change; some self-imposed and some beyond our control. In her book Super You, Emily V. Gordon discusses this idea.  She states, "...it's not that you need to change-it's that we're continually changing whether we like it or not." 

In accepting this inevitability we really do have a choice as to how we approach change in our lives. Although, I wax nostalgic at times for days gone by, l do make a point to approach the future with enthusiasm. As John C. Maxwell said, "Change is inevitable. Growth is optional."