Labels of Yesterday: Breaking Free from Labels

🎒 Materials & Moments

What you’ll need
A reflective mood, a quiet space, a journal or notepad, and a pen.

Instructions

1. Unravelling the Narrative
Start by recalling moments in your life where you’ve thought or said things like:

“I’m not good at this”
“I always mess things up”
“I’ll never be able to xyz”

Try to trace these statements back to their origins.

When did you first start thinking this way?

2. Listing the Labels
On a blank page, note down all the labels you’ve consciously or unconsciously assigned to yourself over the years.

This could range from:

“I’m too shy”
“I’m not creative”
“I always play it safe”.

Example:

If you always think of yourself as “not a people person“, try to pinpoint where this belief stemmed from.
Was it a singular awkward social event in school?
A comment someone once made?

3. Challenge and Reframe
For each label, ask yourself:

– Is this label truly reflective of who I am now?
– How has this label impacted my decisions and life experiences?
– What would I feel or do differently if this label was no longer part of my identity?

Example:

For the “not a people person” label, for instance, you might reflect on how avoiding social situations has affected your experiences.
How might you act or feel if you started believing otherwise?

4. Re-scripting Your Narrative
Choose a label that you ‘d like to discard or reframe.

Write a new narrative for yourself.

Instead of “I’m not good with new technologies”, try “I can learn and adapt to new technologies.”

5. Journal the Journey
Document this introspective process.

Note down any feelings of liberation, any hesitations, and most importantly, the new narratives you’re embracing.