On Labels & Constantly Shifting Identity

I avoid labels. I like to think that is because I value the freedom that comes with not labelling oneself. Today, I question this thought. I wonder if I am afraid of labels, worried that the moment I take on a label, I become a slave to it—making an identity out of it—dealing with the pressure to maintain an image that fits the label.

I wonder if my avoidance of labels is holding me back from meeting like-minded people. Without a clear and easily identifiable identity or branding, it is difficult for others to understand who I am or what I stand for.

I like to think I have an interesting perspective on life and that my presence in the world is somehow unique. But for some reason, I refuse to show that. Maybe I am afraid of standing out, of not fitting in. Perhaps, I do not know who I am, and I am subconsciously avoiding presenting a half-baked version of myself.

While that explains my resistance towards labels, I see a significant issue with this way of being—I will always be half-baked, always in the oven. I am a work in progress, eternally. My beliefs and views are a work in progress. I shall grant myself the freedom to transform, to change, and to flow like water.

Is there a label for that?

Nothing is static. Everything changes and transforms. Metamorphosis is real.

I need to keep in mind that I have no final form I am trying to achieve. I am not a project with a deadline or due date that needs to be polished and completed by a given time. All of my existence will be marked by change, by transformation, by becoming and unbecoming. In a cycle that marches onward and forward, I am caught in a ride, observing change inside and outside.

Yet, I shall not become overly attached to the idea that I’m always in a state of transformation. It’s okay if I can’t always trace my path. The type of change I’m thinking of is subtle—it unfolds moment by moment, hard to notice from up close.

I should take comfort in knowing that, while blurry and imperceptible, change still happens. I may be too close to see it as it’s unfolding, but over time, I’ll notice a pattern, a trajectory, a path walked. Maybe then, I’ll find a label that somewhat fits that portion of my journey. In the meantime, I leave the path unlabeled, open to whatever it might become. And maybe that is the only label I ever need.