Having a solid sense of self in all aspects of your life is essential. If you’re not confident and comfortable in a role, it can be challenging to succeed. Your identity is a big part of how well you do in different roles. If you have a low self identity in a specific position, that area of your life will likely suffer.
According to social identity theory, much of our sense of self comes from the groups we belong to.
IR Theory and your sense of self
Identity theory posits that there is a relationship between an individual’s identity and their role. This theory has implications for how we think about our identities and how they affect our actions. Our self identity can be considered a number on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 being the worst possible identity and 10 being the best. Our attitude toward our sense of self can impact how we act in various situations. Regardless, it is essential to remember that our actions should not be dictated by our attitude. Instead, our attitude should be set by our actions.
At the end of the year, you may start to think about community and the communities you are a part of. If you want to join a community or start a new course, you need to think about how you are going into it and how you shouldn’t go into it.
What communities can do for you and your personal identity
Joining a community can help you achieve your goals faster by learning from others. It’s paramount to understand your motivations for joining a particular community. Once you know why you want to be a part of a community, you can assess which one is right for you. When making this decision, it’s vital to remain rational and avoid emotional attachments. An excellent way to choose which community to join is to find people who communicate in a way that resonates with you and your sense of self.
Pay attention to their language if you want to understand how someone takes in information. “I hear what you’re saying” indicates that they are auditory learners. If they say, “I see what you’re doing,” they are visual learners. Kinesthetic–“I feel what you’re saying” is the emotion behind the communication.
Using your true self to choose the right community.
Before heading into a new community this year, do your homework. Here are some vital points you need to ensure your new community will hit before committing to a community.
- Accountability. You want to find a community that can hold you accountable for doing the tasks that will take you to the goal you set.
- Identify your needs and strengths. What are your strengths? Lean into them and then think about your needs. Find the community that will help you improve your needs and support your strengths.
- A mentor should gain trust and respect. They should understand you and want to help you personally.
- Mentors ensure they have the knowledge and skill sets you are looking for to drive you to grow your knowledge and skills.
- Are these communities investing in your growth and development? Are they interested in your growth?
Keep Emotions out of your choices.
Keeping your emotions in check when learning about new communities and gathering information for your business is integral. If you let your emotions guide you, you’ll make bad decisions. Being emotional can also make you a target for manipulation. Having a solid sense of self and confidence in your role is vital. Otherwise, you might be too emotional.
Questions to ask to ensure you are not choosing a community based on emotion.
- What can I get out of it?
- What can I bring to it?
- How does this person communicate?
- Will this person and how they communicate help me?
- Is this community going to help me and this business?
Conclusion: Understand your sense of self and find your community
Before you can find the right community, you must have a strong sense of self. The identity theory can help you reflect on your self identity and your roles.
Always keep emotion out of your choice of a community. That will lead to poor decisions. With the right community, you can grow, but you must do the work. One way to make it easier to “do the work” is to find a community to help you. You can fold time and reach a goal faster by asking for help. Communities and mentorships help you learn things more quickly, so you don’t have to fail forward first.
