In society it is customary to define ourselves by what we do rather than who we are. So much so, that if asked to characterize ourselves without mention of our occupation, many of us would not know what to say.

When someone introduces themselves as a doctor, if like most, we picture them highly educated, financially secure, and successful. On the other hand, if a person mentions they are a janitor, we tend to think the complete opposite.

What if you learned that the doctor was being repeatedly sued for malpractice because of inhumane patient treatment, and the janitor had been awarded the Medal of Honor while defending our country? Would this change your perception of these two individuals? Most likely, because now we are describing moral fiber, or lack thereof, which truly defines us.

Are our egos such that we put aside moral character for meaningless titles? Mankind, as a whole, appears to be suffering from identity displacement. In attempting to achieve a sense of communal acceptance, we have lost our uniqueness.

In order to return to a sense of self, we must first detach from ego. Ego is what speaks in the “I” and forms judgement. It is that overly self-critical voice in our heads we wish to turn off. It is what our gut battles with when we feel a pull in an unwanted direction. Sadly, though, the ego always seems to win. To fight back, we must first understand where ego and feelings come from.

After a massive stroke from a blood vessel exploding in her brain, neuroanatomist, Jill Bolte Taylor in her book My Stroke of Insight shares her amazing story of recovery. In describing the function of the right and left hemisphere of the brain, she writes, “...our right hemisphere thinks in pictures and perceives the big picture of the present, our left mind thrives on details, details, and more details about those details.” She further explains, “One of the jobs of our left hemisphere language centers to define our self by saying “I am”.

The “I am” left hemisphere is where ego resides. Because ego doesn’t like to lose, it dominates when we go in search of our identity. It bullies the right hemisphere of the brain using negative talk to convince us that what we feel is crazy or wrong.

To detach from ego, we must recognize the origin of our thoughts. When seeking validation through our jobs or financial status, identify the source. In doing so, you create rifts in your state of consciousness. It is these rifts that allow you to detach from ego, authorizing your right brain to dominate, thereby granting permission to acknowledge and validate your feelings.

In A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose, Eckart Tolle writes, “Discover inner space by creating gaps in the stream of thinking. Without those gaps, your thinking becomes repetitive, uninspired, devoid of any creative spark, which is how it still is for most people on the planet.”

It is when we “discover inner space” and allow inspiration to come through that we start basing our choices on the betterment of our lives or mankind, rather then what society dictates. With this comes a deep level of self worth, enabling us to identify ourselves by our moral character.