Do you ever reminisce about a day in your childhood?

I want you to imagine it: you just finished a whole day of playing with friends and are on your way back home, running with a thirst that needs to be quenched immediately by that bottle of water you left in the fridge.

Immediately after, you know that supper is ready, as Mom has already put the pots on the stove and Dad is returning from work.

You know all of this because you have already memorised the schedule.

Fast-forward 15 to 20 years, we are responsible for caring for ourselves. Today, you are driving back home after a long day of work to cook dinner for one. But before that, you have a pitstop at the garage because you need to fill up the car.

Oh yes!

You remember to buy that loaf of bread and a carton of milk for the coffee you must make.

Mom is not there to do that.

Can you imagine that? That creepily fast but slow chain of life that catches up to you?

wuh-PSSSH!

Can you imagine we were once young, believing our grandparents were too old?

Now, you are forced to make multiple decisions per day.

But the fundamental question, which many of us neglect to ask, is, "Who am I?" Many people, perhaps yourself included, feel like they suffer from Imposter Syndrome.

To break it down, imposter syndrome is a behavioural health phenomenon characterized by self-doubt of intellect, skills, or accomplishments among high-achieving individuals.

Read: The dangers of imposter syndrome - how to spot it and gain confidence

Why would a person doubt the validity of their achievements? Why would they believe they are not worthy of the life they have worked so hard to build?

You will never fulfil your purpose, and the self-identity gap* will never be filled by external achievements.      

If you do not know who you are, and you may unintentionally accumulate achievements that should bring stature and status to your life, not yourself.

Do you know why are you even doing it?

Before you have any title that you may earn throughout the years of your incredibly precious life, you are human.

Being human requires you to first identify within yourself so that you may, in turn, make the best decisions based on your own needs and wants.

As a generation faced with even more choices than the last, these choices can be frightening if we lack self-esteem. If we show apathy towards who we are, what we want, and where we are headed, we will always fear making the wrong choice acclimatized to where we believe we " should" be based on our current position.

Your self-esteem cannot be dictated to you by others, and what we believe would make people "respect" and " like you".

So, a takeaway from this article is the fundamental questions to ask oneself.

• Who are you?
• Who chose your goals?
• What is your self-driving purpose?

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As the highly decorated self-esteem psychologist and author Nathaniel Branden said, "Trust yourself. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Speak for yourself. Be yourself. Imitation is suicide."

The answer to the above questions may reveal a side of yourself that you did not know existed.

We need to begin with a commitment to finding value in ourselves. Genuine self-pride is achieved by pursuing values and accomplishments that truly reflect your authentic self.

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Glossary:

Self-identity gap - the difference between individuals' self-view and the self they express in communication

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