Creating an Identity

I realized tonight as I was reading Switch that most of what I do in life is because of the identity that I have constructed for myself. There is a very clear "ideal" version of myself that I want to be in real life. Every day I wake up and try to get a little closer to that ideal. I take small, little steps each and every day and hopefully down the road those steps will lead me to the ideal version of how I see myself. 

So here is a description of that identity that I am working towards: 

• Strong 
  
• Erudite 
  
• Kind 
  
• Giving 
  
• Effective 
  
• Efficient 
  
• Experienced 
  
• Accomplished 
  

Those may not all make sense from just reading them in a list, but that's okay. They all have a definite meaning to me and I know exactly what I am aiming towards. 

Furthermore, this list helps me make decisions in life. I can go over in my mind whether a decision will make me stronger, kinder, more experienced, etc., and if it does, I will generally decide in favor of it. If a decision takes away from these qualities, then I decide against it. 

At the end of the day, I always want to be a little better and a little closer to my envisioned identity. Anything that takes away from that vision is a waste of time.