Reading the book “The Defining Decade” by Meg Jay introduces us to the notion of “identity capital”.
Check out below what identity capital is, how it’s so important for you and your life and how you can build upon what you already have.
What is identity capital?
Your identity capital is what makes you interesting.
Although we are all unique, some defining experiences are more worth talking about than others.
Let’s check out an example to better understand.
In her book “The Defining Decade”, psychologist Meg Jay discusses a client of hers who was facing a choice in her career.
The client, a young lady in her twenties, was a nanny and wanted another job. She had been offered a job in a coffee shop and had an interview in an animation agency.
The young woman was about to take the position at the coffee shop when Meg Jay told her about identity capital.
The psychologist reasoned that although working in a coffee shop seemed more attractive now, maybe with a better schedule and environment, it wasn’t doing much to build her identity capital.
Instead, the client took the floater position at the animation agency, got promoted after 6 months and was hired later on by a movie director.
You don’t have to pull crazy stunts to grow your identity capital, but it is important to consider a long term perspective when making decisions.
Why is it important?
Who you are is a collection of experiences glued together by your personality.
Moments define who you were, are and will be.
This is heightened when writing your resume. A manager won’t hire you because of your bachelor or your master, chances are all the candidates have one if it’s a requirement to apply.
Instead, a manager might hire you because you went to the same college as her husband or because you both volunteer for the same charity.
“But that has nothing to do with the job?” Exactly.
To be honest, many people can do the same work with only small variations in quality or efficiency.
So instead of wondering “can this person do the job?”, managers will ask themselves “do I want to work with this person?”.
Making an impression on someone might be driven by your personality but people remember stories.
This is true at work but also in love and friendship.
You want to grow your identity capital so people are interested in you in all walks of life.
A better identity capital gives you more options in life, and who doesn’t want that?
Now that you know why it’s so crucial in all areas of life, let’s see how you can build it.
How to grow your identity capital?
Where you go, what you learn and what you do build your identity capital.
A vacation in the Bahamas probably won’t grow your identity capital but volunteering two months in South America might.
It is not about taking every decision based on what other people think.
Instead, think about the person you want to become. Face choices today while keeping in mind how it will impact you in 5 years.
You can learn a valuable skill or direct a project from start to finish.
You might argue there’s nothing like that you can do in your current situation.
The truth is there probably is, but you need to get out of your comfort zone to find it.
It will depend on your interest and environment. But so many things can be achieved online or with digital tools, that there is always something you can do in your situation.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself to guide your identity capital growth.
Who do you want to become? You know more than you think. If you don’t know exactly what career you want, describe the lifestyle you aspire to and what you want to be known and praised for.
What are you good at and what are you willing to learn? If nothing comes to mind, think about what other people come to you for, what do you help people with?
List all the opportunities you can think of. Can you find a job you enjoy and that sounds interesting? Or volunteer somewhere? Can you use your skills to help a local business or to find an internship? Can you start your own venture?
Choose what aligns with your values and who you want to become.
The more you grow your identity capital, the more choices you will have down the line.
