Original thread here

allegro_con_fuoco makes a really good point about what it means to take on identities as a crutch. This is especially relevant here with the "alpha" mindset being the prevailing approach to self-actuation.

Thing is, taking on the identity and callings of a bigger, more bad-ass version of yourself can lead to vast improvement, and in my doctrine is a necessary step towards getting what you want out of life.

HOWEVER - if you never move beyond the training wheels, they begin to hold you back from what you're truly capable of - all the things you don't know you can do because you've never tried.

To go beyond all of that, you have to let go of your idea that you are a set way - that you have a series of unshakeable principles that govern your life for you. That has to disappear altogether.

Develop your competence and curiosity, and don't rely on what you think you're good at to dictate the rest of your life.

Something like "I'm a really funny guy" can start out as an advantage. If you let that become who you are, and let it become the only thing about who you are, it becomes a crutch. You no longer have your humor - it has you, and dictates how you relate to anyone around you, all the time.

Don't let your idea of who you are today keep you from growing into something you want to be tomorrow.