OTHER IDENTITIES:

By reflecting on the belief systems you hold about each of the following common aspects of
identity, you may discover key features of your own identify and story. By acknowledging them,
you will have the opportunity to determine if you feel they accurately reflect your true, authentic
self. If not, you can change them.
For illustration, we will go into greater detail with the first two identities: poverty and victim.
Poverty:
People who view themselves as poor or tell a story of their financial struggles, and their family’s
history of poverty, rarely get out of poverty. This is for 2 reasons:
1. Poverty has become part of who they think they ARE, rather than a temporary condition.
They have low expectations surrounding money and so do not seek advancement,
education, or higher level positions. This is not because they aren’t capable, but because
they don’t believe they can succeed at a higher level. If they believed poverty was simply
a condition they could change, they would raise their expectations and reach higher.
2. Even if they think the can improve their circumstances, and so they work hard at
progress, they can find themselves back to broke over and over again. This is because
while at the surface they may believe they can be better off financially, at their CORE
they have a poverty identity—and it blocks them. They make subtle decisions over time
that lead to failure at their attempts of reaching for higher level financial success.
They may also have other beliefs under the surface that hold them back. Perhaps they believe
that “money is the root of all evil” and so fear having it, believing unconsciously that if they get
a great deal of money it will make them “bad”. Maybe they think “money changes people” and
they fear being rejected by their peers who think they’ve “changed” or they fear it will change
them.
So, with regard to poverty and money, ask yourself the following questions:
 Do you consider yourself wealthy or poor?
 How do you know?
 If you feel grateful for what you DO have, do you feel wealthy?
 Do you expect that your economic status (poor or wealthy) is STATIC—permanent?
If you feel that poverty is part of your identify, there are several things you can do to change the
belief behind it.
 Reflect on what you DO have and feel gratitude for it, knowing there are others who
would view you as wealthy.
 Remember times that money came to you just when you needed or when it came easily or
unexpectedly.
 Find examples of other people who went from poverty to relative wealth and
acknowledge that if they came from similar circumstances then you can too.
 By looking for the EVIDENCE of the abundance you do have and that further abundance
is possible, you prove that inner identity WRONG.
 Would you like to change your story about money and poverty?
 How would you tell this story in 1 sentence?

Victim:
"The most important decision anybody has to make is whether you live in a hostile or friendly
universe." ~Einstein

Just because you were victimized doesn't mean you're a victim. If it's currently happening, ask
for help. If it happenED and you're still carrying around the story, you can put it down now.
Whatever happened and whoever did it to you, you can stop allowing them to hurt you. You can
take back control. It's okay that it happened. It wasn't about you. It wasn’t your fault. It doesn’t
make you bad or unworthy or a victim. It’s just a life experience that happened in the past and
it’s over now. Continuing to tell the story and believing that you are by your nature a victim of
life is holding you back. You have an opportunity now to change this story.

NOTE to anyone who does not have a traumatic or extreme story of being victimized…
Just because you were not victimized or hurt at the level they'd write a story about doesn't mean
you're not suffering or in pain. People’s pain or feeling victimized is not relative, meaning just
because in comparison to another’s life experiences yours seems “less negative” doesn’t mean
your experience of suffering is less real and valid. Your brain only has your own life experience
to compare itself to. Looking at the reality of those whom are less fortunate or who have “been
through worse” can be a helpful exercise in finding gratitude for your own relative blessings.
However, do not use others’ extreme circumstances as a way of putting yourself down for feeling
pain, suffering, or like a victim. If you feel these things, you can be carrying around a victim
story that isn’t serving you and it needs to be addressed in the same way as anyone else.

 Do you see yourself as a victim?

 How do you know?
 Do you believe the world is against you?
 Do you feel things happen to you BECAUSE you are a victim?
 Do you believe your negative experiences can make you stronger or teach you something
or eventually lead to positive outcomes?
 Would you like to change your story about being a victim?
 How would you tell this story in 1 sentence?

Intelligence:
 Are you smart or stupid?
  How do you know?
 Do you believe intelligence is important?
 Do you feel you have forms of intelligence (aside from intellect) that aren’t as commonly
recognized (emotional, physical, social, etc)?
 Do you believe that your intelligence level is FIXED or do you believe it can be
changed?
 Would you like to change your story about your intelligence?
 How would you tell this story in 1 sentence?

Hardship:
 Are you a survivor or a sufferer?
 How do you know?
 Do you believe your difficulties make you stronger or that they limit you?
 Do you tend to give up or do you push through?
 Would you like to change your story about hardship?
 How would you tell this story in 1 sentence?

Worthiness:
 Do you believe you are worthy of happiness and wellbeing?
 How do you know?
 Do you get discouraged when you feel life is not living up to your expectations of what
you should receive because of your value?
 Do you feel undeserving of good things happening to you?
 Do you see bad things happening as a confirmation that you aren’t worthy?
 How do you feel about the worthiness of babies? How about YOU as a baby?
 Do you feel you add value to anyone’s life?
 Do you feel you have something to offer this world?
 Would you like to change your story about your worth?
 How would you tell this story in 1 sentence?

Privilege:
 Are you privileged or underprivileged?
 How do you know?
 If you’re privileged, do you feel gratitude for it or do you feel guilty?
 If you’re underprivileged, do you feel bitter because it is not fair?
 Do you see being underprivileged as being due to your unworthiness?
 Do you resent others who have privilege?
  Would you like to change your story about privilege?
 How would you tell this story in 1 sentence?

Security:
 Are you secure or insecure?
 How do you know?
 Is life secure or insecure?
 How do you know?
 Do you believe people tend to stick by you or leave?
 Is life comfortable or uncomfortable?
 Which do you value more, security/stability or variety/growth?
 Would you like to change your story about security?
 How would you tell this story in 1 sentence?

Health:
 Do you see yourself as a healthy person?
 How do you know?
 Did people in your life growing up have health problems?
 Do you believe health is easy and natural or difficult and challenging?
 Are you an active person or an inactive person?
 Is this because of any beliefs you have about yourself, such as “I’m not good at sports.”
“I’m uncoordinated.” “I hate exercise.” Or “I love being physical.” “I love being
outdoors.” “I’ve always been a sports nut”?
 Would you like to change your story about health?
 How would you tell this story in 1 sentence?