I recognize that there are a number of identities that I’ve picked up…Some of those identities are cultural…Some of those identities come from my family…Some of those identities are ones I have chosen to feel useful and safe in the world…It’s good for me to have something to live up to…It’s good for me to have something to strive for…It’s good for me to be in a situation where I have a clear idea of who and what I want to be…But at the same time these identities are not who I am….These characteristics do not define how I navigate the world…These identities are not the way that I actually stay safe…I can be safe in the world without having to live these identities perfectly…I’m allowed to change my mind…I’m allowed to change my disposition…I’m allowed to change the way I see myself in the world…I’m allowed to let go of these old identities…If this identity serves me at some point in the future, I can pick it back up again…If this identity is helpful in the future, I can engage with it again…I don’t have to live up to these statements to be healthy…I don’t have to live up to these identities to be safe…I don’t have to embrace these characteristics all of the time to be my authentic self…These identities can be a benchmark…These identities can help me in my daily life…But they do not define me…Who I am in this moment defines me…And I give myself permission to choose that right now.