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For most of my life I defined my identity based on what I did instead of who I was.
Not a good idea.
Identity is Who You Are, Not What You Do
Not only is it exhausting, it’s literally debilitating. I firmly believe that this lifestyle led to the development of my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at the end of my junior year at Emory University…not to mention a series of other serious ailments in the years leading up to that as a result of my propensity to overachieve for the wrong reasons.
Freedom Found in Christ
I can’t say that I’ve got this totally figured out yet, but I can say that the freedom I found in Christ ten years ago revealed that the only person I needed to ‘please’ was God; when you live your live in a consistent manner instead of being a slave to people-pleasing, regardless of whether or not people like you or dislike you, they will respect you for the consistent life you live.
A Transparent Interview on Identity
In 2011, I was asked to share my story about how I came to learn this very difficult and very timely lesson during an evening of Cultivate Her at the Bellevue, TN campus of Crosspoint.tv.
I honestly have not listened back to the entire video (it’s almost a half-hour – fair warning given) for fear I may have totally embarrassed myself (and some friends and family) in the process. But know this: it is my goal to be transparent so others will learn that our success is not dependent upon what we do, but rests in the fact that we were created in God’s image. When you live your life focused on loving others and using those God-given gifts fully, that is a life well lived!
Watch the entire video of Who you are is not defined by What you do from Cultivate Her.
Jenni Catron also interviewed me in her book, Clout, around the same principles.
