I’ve never been a fan of putting pen to paper to express my feelings. I’ve always felt as though the process of identifying and communicating feelings is far too intimate to be confined to prose. Moreover, it usually requires more energy than I have to spare. However, I’ve always had a soft spot for discussing self-identity. So here goes.

Simply put, we can define identity as the naturally occurring qualities that make us who we are as individuals.

“Who am I?”

“How do I feel about this issue?”

“How will this affect me?”

These are good places to start when attempting to establish self-identity. With that said, the process of developing self-identity is rather simple. Wouldn’t you agree? Well, of course you wouldn’t. Finding your identity is far more complicated than that. It is a gradual process that takes effort and time. So we work at it relentlessly until we are able to develop it. And when we finally do develop it, boy do we feel good! Confidence swells in our bosom and we finally begin to come into our own.

You may now ask, what happens when we lose our self-identity? Or when we fail to maintain it? Well, in one word, catastrophe. When we lose our self-identity, a series of debacles always tends to follow. Our decision-making ability becomes hindered, and we struggle to maintain healthy relationships. For the sake of this article, however, I will not discuss extensively the negatives associated with losing self-identity. I choose rather to focus on the positives associated with maintaining it. The four main reasons why I feel that maintaining self-identity is important are as follows.

Firstly, maintaining self-identity is important because it strengthens your character. That is, when we know who we are, have confidence in our self and are able to identify our strengths, we emerge as stronger individuals.

Secondly, it keeps us unique and distinguishes us from everyone else. God created each of us differently for a reason. Embrace who you are. Love yourself!

Thirdly, maintaining our self-identity keeps us comfortable. The sooner we embrace ourselves, flaws and all, the sooner we rid ourselves of insecurities and become comfortable with who we are. And, believe me, you cannot put a price on being comfortable in your own skin.

Finally, we become more aware of our immediate environment and our place in it. We are all here for a purpose and recognizing our self-identity equips us with what we need to live out that purpose. With that said, I entreat you to maintain your self-identity and to remain true to yourself always.

Anga is a junior majoring in renewable energy. He can be reached at angab@jbu.edu.