TOWARD A LIVING AND CONSCIOUS IDENTITY — Part 6
Identity is not a label you wear — it’s a practice you live.
Identity as Action, Not a Label
Voltaire said it better than I ever could:
“The goal of the human condition is action.”
Everything we hope to be in this life—respected, just, dignified, free—is not built through words or intentions, but through action.
If you want to be a good person, act with kindness.
If you want to be just, commit acts of justice.
If you want to build a solid identity, embody it in what you do each day—not just in what you say about yourself.
My grandparents had a simple but powerful way of putting this. They often told a story I’ve never forgotten.
A man visits his neighbor to borrow a shovel. When he arrives, he sits down, chats, cracks jokes, looks around—but forgets to ask for what he came for.
Meanwhile, another man arrives, greets everyone, introduces himself, and promptly asks for the shovel. The neighbor, smiling, lends it to him.
Seeing this, the first man quickly speaks up, saying he too had come to borrow the shovel.
The neighbor, a little regretful, shrugs and replies:
“You should’ve asked when you arrived, my friend. But now it’s too late.”
The lesson is clear: if you want to become something, start now. Don’t wait for tomorrow. Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Don’t wait for the world to give you permission. Be the person you want to become the moment that desire awakens in you.
Jim Rohn said:
“Don’t start the day until you’ve finished it in your mind.”
And I believe the same goes for identity. Don’t begin the journey toward yourself without first taking the time to visualize who you want to become. Gather the pieces, fit them together like a puzzle. And once the image becomes clear in your heart, begin to live it—act it out—little by little.
It’s not the label that defines the person, but the quiet sum of their actions.
Don’t say: “I want to be kind like them.”
If you truly want that, then be kind. Don’t waste time doubting or worrying about what others might think. Just act. Be kind. Be fair. Be bold.
And if you want to be all that without being naïve, then train your awareness too. But above all—don’t wait for the world to validate you.
Identity isn’t a word printed on a card. It’s an inner movement. It’s coherence between what you believe and what you do.
It’s a fire you feed every day—even when it’s cold, even when no one’s watching.
Unlike the man who left empty-handed without the shovel, we still have the priceless chance to become what we choose—at every moment. Every day, every action, every decision is a new opportunity to embody the values we believe in.
And of course, it’s not easy. Values come with demands, with discipline. They’re not just ideas pinned to the heart like ornaments. They’re living, breathing forces that call us to integrity.
We must welcome the principles that come with our values, just as we sharpen a blade to make it useful. It’s by embracing their constraints that our values gain clarity, strength, and truth.
I like to say that life is meant to be lived.
Not just breathing, eating, going to work. No. Truly lived. Being present in your actions. Paying attention to who you’re becoming.
Don’t just be a passive observer of your own life’s film. Don’t watch it go by like a show you weren’t invited to perform in. Be the actor. Be the one who steps on stage.
And yes, sometimes you’ll need to step out of character, take a step back, watch yourself perform—but only to better revise the script, adjust your performance, refine the staging.
Be all at once: the architect and the laborer, the actor and the audience, the director and the kind-hearted critic of your own film.
Life doesn’t lock us into a single role; it gives us the vast freedom to write everything, to change everything, to embody everything.
And to reach your destination, you’ll need to change just one word.
Shift from the verb of being—“I want to be”—to the verb of becoming—“I’m going to be.”
And you’ll see just how powerful that shift is.
That small change turns desire into direction, a dream into a process, an idea into reality.
That’s where true identity is born.
Not the one we display.
The one we live.
Being yourself is not an accident. It’s a choice—repeated every day, often in silence. It’s the quiet effort to embody what you believe is right, even when no one is watching.
🪞 Step for Reflection
Ask yourself today:
What’s one value I can act out more consciously this week?
What’s one small habit that would bring me closer to the person I want to become?
Where am I waiting for permission instead of simply beginning?
Because identity is not a label you wear — it’s a practice you live.
🤍 If you want to support my work
Consider becoming a free subscriber to The Mirror Room Journal
and share this post with someone who might need it today.
Until next time, take care.
Warmly,
Odel A.