“I’m a Fighter Pilot”
In the recent movie, “Top Gun: Maverick”, the main character we all know as Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, seems to be having an identity crisis as he faces an international incident. He is trying to find his path, searching how to best apply himself to the situation at hand.
As he speaks with his lifelong friend and previous arch nemesis, “Iceman”, Maverick exclaims, “I’m a fighter pilot. It’s not what I am, it’s who I am.”
It’s meant to be a dramatic moment, reflecting the inner struggle of Maverick on his path to clarity, purpose, and heroic action. To be honest, it kind of made me laugh as it can come off a bit cliche. But I also liked that line because I think it hits on something very true for most of us that don’t fly fighter jets at Mach 5 on a regular basis.
These two elements are two sides of the same identity coin.
What are you?
Who are you?
What you are is most often related to your context in community. What you do in the context of society such as a profession. This represents an exterior layer of identity. What others see and actions or behaviors tied to a role.
Who you are is personal and points to who you are as an individual person. This is the interior layer of identity. What we see or know of ourselves on the inside. It’s your sense and knowledge of self.
It’s easy to conflate the two or interchange them but it is more helpful to understand that they are two distinct things that are hyper-connected.
The intersection and integration of these two elements is foundational for having an anchor point in our personal and professional lives that provides us with our location telling us where we are. Together they also provide a compass that guides us in a direction we may need to move in, where we need to go.
Our clarity on these two things will sometimes be focused times and blurry at others, as we navigate and adjust to circumstance, experiences, growth, and change. Don’t let that throw you. Life is most often not as certain as a paint by numbers art project but a never-ending series of course corrections and adjustments. Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell found his way, so can you.