To listen to and watch this video presentation of this article, you may click on this link: I Am Not a “Label” — Being Our Own Best Cheerleader Video Presentation
Over the past several days I have been struggling with something. Something that I have had a difficult time understanding. Something that has been a distraction to me.
Last night I had a spiritual awakening that helped me to understand that I was being distracted by the remnants and the effects of a label.
Distracted by the belief that I do not do enough, therefore I am not enough. Distracted by forgetting that I am not a label. Distracted by forgetting to be my own best cheerleader.
Below I will share what helped me to “shake-off” these remnants and the effects of a label. I will also share what reminded me to take an active role as a cheerleader in my own life.
Background
In my experience, I reached a point in time when I could no longer defend the denial that kept me stuck for many years. In my experience, I could no longer keep buying into the denial of what other people wanted or needed me to believe about myself. I could no longer keep doing the same thing in and with my life.
I realized that I could no longer continue to do the same thing over and over again expecting different results. I needed to find a way to use my gifts, talents, and abilities in ways that would work for me. In ways, that would empower my ability to use my passions to follow my dreams.
In ways that I could build something beautiful on my lot in life.
Spiritual Awakenings
I am thankful that I reached a threshold of pain in my life that motivated me to think outside of the “box”. I am thankful that I reached a threshold of pain that helped me to realize that I did not have to be limited by my limitations. I am thankful that I reached a threshold of pain that motivated me to find ways to use my gifts, talents, and abilities.
“Regardless of your lot in life, you can build something beautiful on it.” Zig Ziglar
Similarly, I reached a threshold of pain that led to a spiritual awakening. A spiritual awakening that helped me to understand the struggle that I experienced for the past several days. My spiritual awakening reminded me that I needed to stop minimizing and marginalizing my efforts. I needed to take an active role as a cheerleader in my own life.
I needed to stop dismissing and discounting what I was building on my lot in life.
Understanding the Impact of a Label
For too long I unknowingly defined my worth and value as an individual with such minimization and marginalization. I am grateful that I reached a point in time when I began to realize that I was not the minimization and marginalization given to me by the label. I am grateful that I began to realize minimization and marginalization no longer had to define my worth and value.
A minimization and marginalization of their worth and value as individuals. A minimization and a marginalization to which the individual identifies.
With my awareness, I began to realize that I no longer had to be limited by the label. With my awareness, I began to realize that I could determine my identity beyond the limits of minimization and marginalization. With my awareness, I began to realize that I could look at my life in a new way. In a way beyond the “box” given to me by the label defined by a minimization and a marginalization.
Traumatic Brain Injury and Being Labeled
In May 2010 I wrote, “Traumatic Brain Injury and Being Labeled” to share what I learned about the impact of a label. The information can be applied universally.
I would invite you to read the article.
Hello and welcome back to Second Chance to Live. I am honored by your presence. Through the process of writing the last several series, I have had a spiritual awakening. As I thought about the words that I have been using in both my titles and articles I realized that I have been unconsciously participating in a gross misrepresentation. Let me explain.
When I was a young pup at a community college — early on in my academic pursuits — I took a course in sociology. Because I took this course over 20 years ago, I do not remember much of what I learned through that course. What I do remember from that course has stuck with me during the past 20 + years. Of late, I have been thinking more about…
What I do remember from the course in Sociology is the concept of labeling. Labeling implies and assigns worth and value to the individual through the process of characterizing and stereotyping the individual based on preconceived notions.
Over the course of the past 20 + years, I have become more aware of the subtle, yet profound impact that labeling has upon individuals. My awareness has grown through my professional and personal experience. In my awareness, I have found that labeling occurs each time that the individual is dismissed and discounted based on faulty assumptions.
In my awareness, I have found that the labeling of individuals frequently occurs and is fueled by a contempt prior to investigation. In my awareness, I have also found that labeling frequently occurs because of ignorance and then perpetuated by arrogance.
Labeling manipulates the individual through placing conscious and unconscious constraints upon the individual. Instead of seeing and celebrating the individual as essential, labeling classifies and categorizes the worth and value of the individual based on faulty information, bias and prejudice.
Although labeling in and of itself is harmless — although it is based on ignorance, bias, and prejudice — the repercussions of being labeled can be devastating. If the individual (s) being labeled buys into and internalizes the assumption of the label, the individual (s) may find themselves unconsciously identifying themselves with the label.
In turn, the individual may begin to believe that they constrained by the limits that the label places upon them. Over time and through ongoing conditioning the individual may, in turn, begin to believe that they can not do or be anything beyond the limits assigned by the label. Consequently, the maintenance of the label becomes more important than the individual.
In the 1st part of this article, I shared with you that I had a spiritual awakening. My spiritual awakening revealed that I had unknowingly participated in the labeling process. My spiritual awakening revealed that I had unknowingly been classifying and categorizing individuals, such as myself who are living with brain injuries.
My spiritual awakening also revealed that I unknowingly assisted in perpetuating the notion of the label. In the process, I minimized and marginalized individuals, such as myself living with brain injuries. With my spiritual awakening, I made a decision to stop using a limiting an inaccurate label to describe myself and other individuals.
I made the decision to no longer refer to myself or to other individuals as traumatic brain injury survivors. I made the decision to start referring to individuals — such as myself — in an accurate and dis-empowering manner. I made the decision to begin referring to people, such as myself — as individual’s living with a brain injury.
I made the change from traumatic brain injury survivors to individuals living with brain injuries, because, neither you or I, are our brain injuries. The reality is that you and I are unique individuals with passions, gifts, talents, and abilities who are living with brain injuries. The reality is that you and I were never meant to be defined by our brain injuries.
The reality is that you and I do not have to be subservient to the limitation (s) inferred by any label. The reality is that we can live and use our gifts, talents, and abilities far beyond any inferred limitation (s).
The reality is that individuals who have sustained or acquired brain injuries do not stop being individuals — to become a traumatic brain injury survivors. The reality is that as individuals, our brain injuries may change the way that we use our gifts, talents, and abilities, but our brain injuries do not change the reality that we still have those gifts, talents, and abilities.
The good news becomes obvious. You and I — as unique individuals living with brain injuries — no longer need or have to buy into or be limited by faulty information, bias or prejudice. You and I — as unique individuals — no longer have to remain boxed in by any label. You and I — as unique individuals — do not have to give up on our hopes, dreams or destinies.
Please read my article Brain Injury, Self-Esteem, Self-Respect, and Significance.
You and I no longer need to believe that our brain injuries are blocks to achieving our destinies. We can believe that our brain injury is merely a switch on the railroad of life that is leading us “down the track” to our destinies. We can learn to use our gifts, talents, and abilities in ways that work for us. We can pursue our hopes and dreams.
That is why if you are putting labels on yourself, stop. If you are placing labels and limitations on other people, stop. If you have people in your life who want to place labels on you, remember that you have a choice. What people think of you or I does not make it so. What matters is what we think about ourselves.
We no longer need to believe we are victims. We no longer need to believe that we are limited because of our brain injuries because you and I are not our brain injuries. You and I are so much more than our brain injuries, deficits or limitations.
That is why we need to challenge the notion that who we are as individuals is based on a label. That is why we need to challenge our inner thoughts when we feel classified, categorized and limited by faulty information, bias or prejudice. That is why we need to celebrate who we are as individuals. That is why we need to stop buying into stereotypes and societal stigmatization.
That is why we need to learn how to use our gifts, talents, and abilities in ways that work for us. That is why we need to be heard. That is why we need to push back and dispel the tide of ignorance by being all that we can be as individuals living with brain injuries.
To listen to and watch this video presentation of this article, you may click on this link: I Am Not a “Label” — Being Our Own Best Cheerleader Video Presentation
You have my permission to share my articles and or video presentations with anyone you believe could benefit, however, I maintain ownership of the intellectual property AND my articles, video presentations and eBooks are not to be considered OPEN SOURCE. Please also provide a link back to Second Chance to Live. In the event that you have questions, please send those questions to me. All questions are good questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Copyright 2007 -2022.
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