| WHAT'S IN A NAME? |
What’s in a name?
My name is not unique. It was almost heartbreaking when I was younger to learn that my name came from a can
of vegetables. Apparently, there used to be a brand called Nancy Lee. Isn’t that just sad? My pregnant mom
wanders through a grocery store and finds my future name on a can in the vegetable aisle?
When I was a sophomore in high school, we moved (again) to a new town. I had a chance to reinvent myself.
Our class had several “Nancy’s” in it, so when it came to signing up in each class, I cut off the “cy” and became
“Nan.” That was many moon’s ago – more than I’m going to share with you, nosy. Needless to say, I’ve been a
Nan longer than I was ever a Nancy.
I’ve been Nan so long, I don’t even recognize myself as a Nancy and if I were walking down the street and
someone hollered out “Hey Nancy” I’d never realize they were talking to me. It sounds too foreign – even the
IRS sent my forms each year to Nan. My inner name is Nan no matter what people call me on the outside. It is
ingrained to the point that no one can take it away from me.
There are family members that persist in calling me “Nancy” no matter how many times I try to get it across to
them that I haven’t gone by that name in – ooo, you thought I was going to mess up there and tell you, didn’t
you! – a long time. LONG time. Even my own mom only calls me Nan – well, except when she’s mad at me.
So what’s in a name? Our identity. The name we are comfortable with is what is important and no one can take
it away from us, even if they refuse to call us by our name. Who I am is tied up in my inner name.
It’s like when someone called my son stupid in elementary school. He came home full of indignation and said,
“MOM! So-in-so called me stupid!” I’d say, “Well, are you stupid?” He’d say, “NO, I am not stupid.” So I’d say
(isn’t this fun?). “Well I guess that makes so-in-so a liar, huh! And we never believe liars, right?” “Ohhh, right!”,
he’d reply, then go on his merry way, satisfied.
So what are you calling yourself? Is your inner voice calling you stupid? A failure? Disorganized?
Overweight? Slow? Depressed? Stressed? Dumb? Poor? Ugly? Incapable? You are the only one who can
change your name, inside and out, just as I did in waaaay back in high school. Sure, you may have to fight
others to make them accept your new name, but you can do it – or ignore them!
It is a fact that we become what we believe inside and what we call ourselves. Our inner voice is far
stronger than we know. No matter what someone calls us on the outside, our inner voice is the
one we believe. Let’s start this New Year off right by making a determination to only call ourselves
positive names – ones we need to believe – ones we want to be.
HI! My name is Nan. My name is also organized. My name is healthy and fit. My name is
disciplined. My name is wealthy. My name is joyous!
JOY is becoming the best you can be – and it starts right there, inside you!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
My name is not unique. It was almost heartbreaking when I was younger to learn that my name came from a can
of vegetables. Apparently, there used to be a brand called Nancy Lee. Isn’t that just sad? My pregnant mom
wanders through a grocery store and finds my future name on a can in the vegetable aisle?
When I was a sophomore in high school, we moved (again) to a new town. I had a chance to reinvent myself.
Our class had several “Nancy’s” in it, so when it came to signing up in each class, I cut off the “cy” and became
“Nan.” That was many moon’s ago – more than I’m going to share with you, nosy. Needless to say, I’ve been a
Nan longer than I was ever a Nancy.
I’ve been Nan so long, I don’t even recognize myself as a Nancy and if I were walking down the street and
someone hollered out “Hey Nancy” I’d never realize they were talking to me. It sounds too foreign – even the
IRS sent my forms each year to Nan. My inner name is Nan no matter what people call me on the outside. It is
ingrained to the point that no one can take it away from me.
There are family members that persist in calling me “Nancy” no matter how many times I try to get it across to
them that I haven’t gone by that name in – ooo, you thought I was going to mess up there and tell you, didn’t
you! – a long time. LONG time. Even my own mom only calls me Nan – well, except when she’s mad at me.
So what’s in a name? Our identity. The name we are comfortable with is what is important and no one can take
it away from us, even if they refuse to call us by our name. Who I am is tied up in my inner name.
It’s like when someone called my son stupid in elementary school. He came home full of indignation and said,
“MOM! So-in-so called me stupid!” I’d say, “Well, are you stupid?” He’d say, “NO, I am not stupid.” So I’d say
(isn’t this fun?). “Well I guess that makes so-in-so a liar, huh! And we never believe liars, right?” “Ohhh, right!”,
he’d reply, then go on his merry way, satisfied.
So what are you calling yourself? Is your inner voice calling you stupid? A failure? Disorganized?
Overweight? Slow? Depressed? Stressed? Dumb? Poor? Ugly? Incapable? You are the only one who can
change your name, inside and out, just as I did in waaaay back in high school. Sure, you may have to fight
others to make them accept your new name, but you can do it – or ignore them!
It is a fact that we become what we believe inside and what we call ourselves. Our inner voice is far
stronger than we know. No matter what someone calls us on the outside, our inner voice is the
one we believe. Let’s start this New Year off right by making a determination to only call ourselves
positive names – ones we need to believe – ones we want to be.
HI! My name is Nan. My name is also organized. My name is healthy and fit. My name is
disciplined. My name is wealthy. My name is joyous!
JOY is becoming the best you can be – and it starts right there, inside you!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
OY-CAFE.COM
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| ...celebrating joie de vivre |