No one gets to define who you are. That’s your job.
I was watching the Super Bowl last Sunday and Brock Purdy’s story caught my attention. In the 2022 NFL Draft, he was called Mr. Irrelevant because he was the last person picked in the draft. In both his entry into his college career and his first year in the NFL, he was the number three quarterback. As fate had it in college, the number one quarterback was injured, and the number two quarterback wasn’t cutting it, so he was called upon to be the quarterback for the season and proved to be a worthy one at that. He was a true freshman at the time and over the next four years, led Iowa State to winning seasons. The same happened when he entered the NFL. Due to injuries, he was called upon in his Rookie season and opened against Tom Brady, completed 76% of his passes, threw for two touchdowns and came out with a 35 – 7 victory. Not bad for being Mr. Irrelevant.
I don’t know Brock Purdy personally, but I can take a guess as to the kind of person he is. He has faith, takes risks knowing there is something bigger than him at work, and he never lets anyone define who he is. As the lowest paid quarterback in the NFL, he could have easily taken ownership of the Mr. Irrelevant label and created his self-worth around it. Instead, he quietly led his team to the Super Bowl.
When you choose to be authentic and have a strong self-worth, you will never let anyone else define who you are. People may believe they know you. They may see a part of you, and not the whole person. They may have opinions about you based on one interaction. Their opinion does not matter in the big scheme of your life. The only opinion that matters is yours.
How you talk about yourself, how you see yourself and how you represent yourself in the world is up to you. Just because someone has an opinion of you, doesn’t mean it is truth.
If you need help with this, in the next Connect-ING event, we will talk about self-love. These events are designed to help you inquire, navigate, and grow in your confidence, self-worth and understanding of who you are. They are also great events for meeting new people of like-heart and like-mind. The next event is Sunday, February 25 from 1:00 – 3:30 p.m. with a repeat of the event offered via Zoom on Sunday, March 3 from 2:00 – 4:30 p.m. You can register here: https://healinginharmonycenter.com/workshops-and-events/current-months-events/
Don’t let anyone else write your story. Your self-worth isn’t determined by someone else’s labels or opinions. It’s about how you see yourself and how you show up in the world.