Happy Australia Day!
Just a quick note today, not the usual length Blog, but as I thought about Australia Day last night, I was hit by a sudden burst of inspiration to write this quick little piece.
There is so much talk in the Media these days about whether or not the date should be changed, for a whole number of different reasons. Personally, I would have no objections to changing the date, because I think Australia Day should be about more than a date, it should be about what it means to “Be an Australian”.
It struck me that whenever people talk about what it means to be an Australian, the conversation inevitable ends up coming back to things which are “Uniquely Australian”. It seems, by what most people say, that the things that makes us uniquely Australian are ideals and values such as mateship, having a go and hard work.
And yet, when we step back to think about it, these may be ideals and values that Australians aspire to, but they’re hardly unique. Most cultures around the world share these same values, even if they go by different names.
So that got me thinking, where does this idea about being “Uniquely” Australian come from. Well, I believe it comes from one of most basic human needs which is the need for a sense of belonging. When we say we are Australian, what we’re really saying is that there is a group of people which I belong to. And that comes from something even more basic, which is Identity. It’s identity which makes us all unique. It’s being Australian which differentiates us from everyone else in the world.
If I ask you to list your Top 5 favourite movies of all time, or your Top 5 favourite artists of all time, you’ll probably find that there’s something or someone in there that most people have never heard of. That’s because we have this basic need for our own unique identity. Something that sets us apart from everyone else and says, this is me! It’s so deeply ingrained that you probably do this without even consciously realising it. We’re saying to the world, Hey, I’m unique! This thing makes me special! This is our identity, it’s how we define ourselves.
Tony Robbins talks about the need we all have for congruency. We will ALWAYS be congruent with our own sense of identity. For better or worse, whatever we believe our identity to be, we will always, and only ever, take actions to be congruent with the identity we hold for ourselves. If our identity is the guy or girl who always….. (fill in the blank), then we will always be congruent with that.
So, my challenge for you this Australia Day is to look at your identity. What is your unique identity? How do you define yourself? The answers won’t be immediately apparent, that’s because our identity is deeply ingrained in our sub-conscious. But if you spend a little time on this, after the Lamb BBQ and Pavlova, you’ll see your unique traits. The things that uniquely define you as you. Then, for each one, ask yourself, does this identity serve me?
If it does, how can you enhance this to make it serve you even more? If not, then what can you replace this part of your identity with, to form a new identity, which will serve you better?