the label we have and, how they limit our potential.

 

According, to the English dictionary, the word labeling, is the act of describing or rebranding something or someone using words or short phrases for the purpose of identification. Labeling involves a rather complex process, of identifying, organizing and sorting out according to the tags assigned to something or an individual. When creating labels, the main goal is to communicate in a fast and reliable manner without taking too much space or time.

Labels come in all manners, roles, sizes and responsibilities. We all live in a world filled with labels. For instance in governance, we have prime ministers, presidents, majesty’s just to mention. All these account to labels we have given to people in authority in our various governing structures. It’s wise to know, the act of labeling can impact the process and development of something or someone either positively or negatively.

There is a narrative told, about a young boy. Quite often, he was picked on by his classmates. On one instance, one of his classmates stuck a note on his back without his knowledge and approval. The note read “I AM STUPID.” The day went by, as the boy carried around the note on his back, yet no one took the initiative to inform him.

During a literature class, the teacher asked a question, out of the whole class the young boy, stood up and walked toward the white board and offered an answer, while his classmates continued to make fun of him, thinking his success and well-being was characterized by the label on his back. It’s true to say if this young boy knew about the note, he wouldn’t have gathered his courage to offer the answer before his class.

And if his classmate were true and loyal friend as they claimed to be, someone in their midst would have volunteered to inform him about the note, to avoid him the embarrassment he underwent that day. Base on the scenario above, the labeler intend to cause pain, by promoting low self-worthiness and self-esteem on the young boy in order to affect his morale.

When we put labels on someone, we tend to scuff away any opportunity for them to rise beyond expectation. We live in a society, where labeling has become the new norm. Everyone is trying to put a tag on your back, including yourself. I believe there are times you felt like you are not good enough. The moment such thought start to manifest, more often you might have felt not worthy and such is a self-imposed label.

The labels we bear can either be self –inflicted or external. And the long we sub-consciously believe in those labels, the more we start to feel in order to be whole, we need to align our self with how someone views us. Only later, for this believes either external or self-imposed becomes the foundation in our lives. “I am this person”…. “I am not this person”… “I can do this”… “I can’t do this.” Our entire persona and sense of reality are sculpted by these labels.  

Therefore decide what kind of labeling you want, bearing in mind how it would impact your life in the long run.