I have come to notice that people can mistake identity for what you look like, the kind of the appearance you give. If you appear as a man, you are often referred to as one and the same applies when you appear as a woman. The fixated notion that identity is only governed by appearance which I chose to differ on this notion. I do not believe appearance is the only means to discover a person's identity. I choose to believe that it cuts way beyond that. You should not pay close attention to only the way you look like in order to perceive your identity or come to a conclusion on that. To me, it seems like another example of judging the book by the cover. Something more to contribute to the establishment of one's identity and that is repetition.
Image by Janet Gooch from Pixabay
What you do often could be used to represent what you are. For instances I am referred to as a chess player, because I play a lot of chess games, organize chess events and create chess content, therefore I am chess player. This could also be applied to anything else in what others do.
It is seen as a form of pattern recognition and place people through the lens of what they do often or overtime. A person who shows up on time can be seen as punctual and serious about whatever it is they do. While a person who keeps working hard despite the setbacks is seen as disciplined. All and more but it also applies to one being a no show or giving up when it gets tough, as not being consistent or for a better word, lacks discipline. It boils down to repetition. What do you do often? That is what you will be related to.
This tells a story that small actions repeated over the course of time are more valuable that a single action done once in the blues. I have always been a champion of consistency because I have seen first hand what it can do. There is a reason why it is often regarded that little drops can cause a mighty ocean. It is not about the little drops or the mighty ocean, rather it is about the course of action repeated over a given time. This is what makes up for the power. We tend to make it a part of us once the action is taken into a repeated form. The best in whatever they do, have done it over the course of their life which makes it even more difficult them to quit when it is time to retire. Also, have you ever wondered why footballers and even basketballers still go back to doing something related to their sport, either creating a podcast, coaching a sport team or commentating on sport events. This is because they have been into the sport for a long time and it has become an identity that defines them, so it hard to leave it behind.
It becomes super easy to mistake statement as becoming a part of one's identity. Speaking about doing the thing is not doing the thing. You say you want to be discipline does not mean you are discipline. But showing actions speaks to your discipline. This is what action does, it speaks more than just words. Let your action speaks to the identity you want to create for yourself.
I am 
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