If you’re a man struggling with issues of low confidence, low self-esteem and not feeling quite sure where you fit in the world, you likely spend your days wondering who you are, and who you want to be. Finding your personal identity is key to living your most fulfilling life and having more confidence in your sense of self, and the decisions which you make.
Here are four ways to find your personal identity.
1. Find Fulfilment Through Hobbies
No matter whether you have a job which best reflects you or not, hobbies are key to shaping yourself as a person alongside your career options. Choosing the right pastime can allow you to explore the things you enjoy, and help you to realize those that you don’t. This can help you to home in on who you are as a person.
Would you prefer a fitness or sport hobby, or is there a creative outlet you’ve always wanted to try? Or perhaps both? By allowing yourself to explore hobbies you enjoy, you’re engaging with the part of you that makes you you.
2. Experiment with Your Personal Style
How you dress and how you choose to look is perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of personal identity. If you’re unsure of yourself, it can be difficult to find the confidence to look how you want to look. Try experimenting with new styles. It may be that you need a completely fresh start when it comes to your style so that you can feel like a new person.
Be sure to choose what feels most comfortable to you, and not what media pressures you into wearing. Comfort is key to confidence.
3. Explore Other Viewpoints
One of the worst things you can do is spend too much time inside your own head, doubting yourself, without understanding what other men might be going through, too. It’s always a good idea to familiarize yourself with how other men explore personal identity and confidence, to gain advice, inspiration and also to not feel so alone in your situation.
You can read in-depth articles and resources on a variety of identity discussions, including what it means to be a man and exploring this idea, to familiarize yourself with what other people think and how it might help you.
Sometimes, all it takes is for another man to outline what they did to feel more confident for you to feel inspired to follow the same steps.
4. Connect with the Right People
Who you surround yourself with will matter to your confidence and self-identity? You want people you can comfortably be yourself around, and who share your interests. You can easily feel stifled by negative people or those you have nothing in common with, which can easily mean you begin to doubt yourself — when actually, you just need a new social environment.
Final Thoughts
Finding your identity isn’t about a straightforward solution as quickly as possible. It may take many steps of trial and error, or it may take a long time for you to work out what you do and don’t like. All that matters is that you’re taking steps to do so and moving forward, rather than remaining stationary.
