What really defines us? Is it the color of our skin, the car we drive, the house we live in, the clothes we wear or the jobs we hold? Is it our status in society or the people we are married to? Or is it really how we conduct ourselves and the values we live by?
Most of us aspire to be the best person possible but when it comes down to posing the question to someone about whom someone really is, it really depends on who you are asking. In any situation, you can have ten people watching an event and each of them might have a different opinion on the same event and every one of them might be correct. Therefore it is important for you to know who you are, know your strengths and weaknesses and do not have unrealistic expectations of yourself. Ultimately, the principal influence in your life is you.
Psychologically speaking, the way we think about ourselves is called our self concept and there are different mechanisms associated with our self concept. These self concepts include; your character self concept, your intellectual self concept, your societal self concept and your physical self concept. All of these play an important part in defining who we are but there are other aspects that accompany our self concept.
Do our emotions sometimes define us? Yes. We all have passions and these passions can be infectious. How you conduct yourself definitely defines you. There are also people around who will influence how you're feeling and sometimes and will have more impact than you can withstand (if you allow them). People with venomous personalities, tend to be strong and it can be difficult to stand up to negativity for an extended period of time (again, if you allow them). In life it seems it is easier to be suspicious and distrustful, than it is to be a happy and trusting person.
Taking into consideration the media lately, The Michael Jackson saga, as I call it. How will people define him? There are people who will articulate that he was a musical genius, which he was in my opinion, people who will use all the negative aspects of his life to be the definition of him but in reality how would he want to be defined and is it fair that we all use what we have seen in the media to define him? In reality, life is not fair and as a society we tend to take what the media reports and run with it. We really did not know the man only his family and close friends knew him. Unfortunately the media painted a picture of him that was at time very sad. The media is sometimes distorted, while at times it might be the truth but who are we to judge anyone? We all make mistakes but no one sees it, it doesn't get plastered in the tabloids because we are not celebrities.
In the end, if you are a religious person, you will believe that God defines you by what is in your heart. Your family defines you by your actions and the feelings that you evoke in them while others on the outside define you by what they read about you or by what someone else has said about you. The most important thing to ever think about is how you define you and how would you want to be defined? By my peers and family, I want to be defined by the joy they see on my face when I smile at them or the feelings I display when I hug them or even shake their hand. By God, I am happy to say that, I want to be defined by everything I have in my heart.
So think of that person you desire to be; create that type of person. It might mean you will have to change the beliefs you have about your own mood, attitudes and values but by doing this you will start to change to becoming that person you have always wanted to be. By being the person you want to be no one can take that away from you unless you allow them to do so. A strong belief in yourself will enable you to overcome any obstacle your life might encounter.