Orient:
Identity
Discover the Light Within
academy
Lesson 1
INTRODUCTION
course objectives
- Define Identity as how I see myself and my place in the world.
- Become aware of the story I tell myself.
- Determine my ideal “identity clay composition” (formed from what I want for myself and what others want/need from me).
- Create my identity statement.
reflection activity
Identity Pre-Assessment
Life is a tapestry of difference. One of the most powerful types of diversity is “diversity of thought”—an approach to life where we seek different perspectives, honor them and, where appropriate, include them in how we live life.
Before we begin our first learning lesson, take a moment and complete the Identity Pre-Assessment below.
Activity: Identity Pre-Assessment
Lesson 2
The Puzzle of Identity
The Puzzle
Our identities are made up of many pieces. It can be difficult to see the “whole picture” of our identity from just a few pieces.
Recognizing where the pieces came from and where they fit best will help us as we build our identity.
Identity in the Orient Pillar
Identity falls under the Orient Pillar in our larger 16 Elements Model.
Identity is how we see ourselves and our place in the world.
Lesson 3
The Stories We Tell
Play-Doh and Identity
Play-Doh can be a great metaphor to help us understand Identity.
We focus on the entire journey rather than each footstep; and we actively reshape or replace the lens in our field glasses to refocus our life.
The Shaping of Identity
Three components that make up our identities are: ourselves, our families, and our communities.
We have the opportunity to choose how much or how little of each gets added to the mix as we form the identity we desire.
reflection activity
My Unique Identity Mix
In the activity below, reflect on the sources of your Identity and the unique mix that makes up you.
Activity: My Unique Identity Mix
The Story I Tell Myself
Our Identities are too often shaped out of unexamined and unchallenged Perspectives.
We have the power to create our own narrative around our identity.
Lesson 4
Five Monkeys
The Five Monkeys and the Mischievous Zookeeper
The fable of the Five Monkeys and the Mischievous Zookeeper can help us better understand how our identities can be influenced and shaped by others, our circumstances, and the world around us. Consider the narrative the monkeys form in the story.
The Moral of The Five Monkeys and the Mischievous Zookeeper
We all construct stories and narrative around our identities. Often times these stories are not true.
If we are not deliberate about our identities, they will be formed by whatever the world tells us we need to be.
Lesson 5
Identity Builder
Identity Anchors
One way to be deliberate about our identity is by creating an Identity statement.
Doing so will ensure we are aligned with our Journey to Purpose.
Critical and Focal Contexts
Anything we deem “critical” to our Identity and helping us along our Journey to Purpose is a Critical Context.
Critical Contexts can be roles, values, or areas of focus. A Focal Context is the Critical Context you are currently focusing on.
reflection activity
Identity Builder – Critical Contexts
Activity: Identity Builder – Critical Contexts
Defining Attributes
An important part of building our Identity is discovering our defining attributes.
Writing our Critical Contexts can help us determine what those attributes are.
reflection activity
Identity Builder – Defining Attributes
Reflect and capture your defining attributes in the activity below.
Activity: Identity Builder – Defining Attributes
Strength Anchors
Identifying our strengths is another important part of building our identities.
As we focus on our strengths rather than our weaknesses, we will be able to achieve excellence.
reflection activity
Identity Builder – Core Competencies
Reflect and capture your core competencies in the activity below. Core competencies are strengths that we can leverage.
Activity: Identity Builder – Core Competencies
reflection activity
Identity Builder – The Identity Statement
Our Critical Contexts, Defining Attributes, and Core Competencies help us to create our Identity Statement. Using these pieces to form an Identity Statement helps us to define and magnify our strengths.
Activity: Identity Builder – The Identity Statement
Lesson 6
Conclusion
Intentional Identity
There are many contributing factors to our Identity.
Building our Identity Statement can help us focus inward and be intentional about who we will become.
reflection activity
Intentional Identity
Our Identity and the Statement we use to describe it come from many sources—some we’re aware of, some not so much. Common sources of identity are our family, community and self. All of these sources tell us who we are, what we should do with our lives, what we’re good at, and where we struggle. It’s healthy to consider their input, and then decide what to keep and what to ignore or discard as you build your identity.
Activity: Intentional Identity
A Foundational Commitment
Identifying our strengths is another important part of building our identities.
As we focus on our strengths rather than our weaknesses, we will be able to achieve excellence.
Additional resources
Related Tools
We care deeply about helping you live your best life.
So much so, that I want to give you a free copy of my most recent book, Spiritual Resonance, to help you fully discover yourself and live authentically.
We’ve also created an assessment to help you discover your Identity, and have trained AI to understand and talk to you about your specific results!
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