In this episode of UNIQUELY YOU Podcast our host, we sit down with Lily to discuss identity. Heather and Lily share a blog called Living Between Cultures. ‘For me identity is quite personal and subjective’ says Lily, ‘I want to make every second count towards my life’.

Lily has always struggled with her identity as he migrated to different countries. Lily is Taiwanese and grew up in Japan before migrating to Australia to complete high school. ‘I struggled to call myself Taiwanese, Japanese and even Australian.’ Culture is such an identifying factor. Lily has always tried to fit into the cultural norms with clothing, makeup and the way in which she presented herself. She says, ‘I was bothered by this item of culture until I was able to find my feet, and myself – it needed courage.’

Expectation, and the way it interacts with our identity can be a huge contributing factor. Lily shares a dating story which fully encapsulates the pressure of expectation and, the impact it can have on our identity. ‘I was confused by that [expectation]’ says Lily, ‘I was too caught up in the cultural differences and forgot that I am still a human being’. The question then becomes – We are accepted by whom and, do we want to be accepted within that environment?

So, is Lily becoming clearer on her identity? ‘I am’ says Lily, ‘I have found myself and I feel grounded, instead of a watery version of myself.’ Lily shares the sense of security she has found and how she embraced it. ‘When everything else becomes external noise, I can grow.  It gives me the courage I need to explore the world out there.’

So, sit back and enjoy this episode as Lily shares how to be UNIQUELY YOU as you show up as yourself.   

 

Links

Living Between Cultures

Heather Jones Consulting

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