Personal Identity: A Meditation
My recent encounter with a government office left me in a state of bewilderment, questioning the very foundation of my identity. It all began when I was instructed to present documentation to prove who I was, and to my astonishment, I discovered that there were two different birthdays associated with my name in the system. For my entire life, I had celebrated one particular date as my birthday, but now [...]
Your Narrative ID
When someone asks “tell me about yourself”, that's a cue to show your 'I.D.' Not a document issued by a government agency, filled with personal stats, e.g., birthday, height, hair/eye color, address, etc., but more substantive information that fills you out, delivered by a 'narrative I.D'. This is a moment, formal or casual in which you have the opportunity to share who you really are: where you've been, where [...]
Odysseus & StoryPathing
I spent years teaching and lecturing on the Odyssey. Now that I've gotten involved in what is called narrative identity work, simply put, how you show up in the stories you tell about yourself, I wondered whether there is any connection between Homer's Odyssey and StoryPathing™, the tool developed by Dr. Dennis Rebelo and presented in his book Story Like You Mean It. Remarkably, Homer introduces the nominal [...]
The Power of StoryPathing: Discovering the Threads of Life’s Journey: An Essay
In the intricate tapestry of our lives, there are pivotal moments that shape us, guide us, and define who we are. StoryPathing is an enlightening exercise that invites individuals to reflect deeply on their experiences and categorize them under three fundamental headings: heroic, collaborative, and virtuous. Through an extended process of introspection and analysis, we identify the exceptional moments that hold immense value and impact. By examining the common [...]
