The Blogging Platypus

My Actions and Choices Reflect my Values It is pretty easy to lose track of who you are. Who you really are. We can fall into a pattern of playing the various roles that we think represent who we are, but do they really? We are often tasked with wearing the hats of parent, child, employee, supervisor, friend, and caretaker throughout our lives. When we have to fill so many different roles, it can be easier to put who you are and some of your values on the backburner in order to succeed in whichever goal we are pursuing. While fragmenting who you are to fill a certain role may make it easier, as there are fewer personal barriers that can potentially get in the way of your goals, we risk losing who we are. When our values are not reflected in our actions, it can create a separation between our authentic self and the self we portray to the outside world. This, in turn, can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, fear, and a sense of feeling lost. Gee, I wonder why stifling who you ar...

Image via Brent Jones It can be a challenge to find your voice. Even after you find it, you will soon realize that holding onto your voice can be even trickier than finding it in the first place. We are inundated by images about what we are supposed to be, do, and how we’re expected to act. In an attempt to refrain from rocking the boat, we’ll go along with the crowd, putting forth a united voice. Don’t get me wrong, a choir of strong voices can help to further causes and can be helpful when it comes to advocating, as it’s more difficult to ignore the masses when compared to ignoring the single voice. However, if we go along with the rest of the crowd, our individual voice may be lost in the noise. Finding and using our voice can be scary, especially if we are used to going along with what is viewed as “right” or “correct” in society. We enter several different groups within society, such as work, school, neighborhood, city, state, and country. If you dare to act against the soci...

To say that I have lived an interesting life in my 42 years would be a bit of an understatement. From graduating high school at age 16, earning my AA degree at 18, then spending 12 years in the military on active duty, followed by my BS and MS degrees, then to be hit with a handful of debilitating illnesses. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve heard a lot. I’ve been through some shit. All of that goes into who I am at any given moment. Our past most certainly influences our experience of the world around us. That’s what makes life interesting, as no two people have had the same experience of life. The diverse views held by society requires us to be more open minded than some are comfortable with, which can lead to the minds being closed. If we nurture compassion, empathy, and understanding, society as a whole may improve. Let’s put the human back into humanity. Okay, I’ll step off my soapbox now and get to today’s post. This game can be challenging, especially when you feel like you have lived s...