{"id":31974,"date":"2021-04-11T23:07:19","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T03:07:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=31974"},"modified":"2021-04-19T21:26:27","modified_gmt":"2021-04-20T01:26:27","slug":"identity-capital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/identity-capital\/","title":{"rendered":"Identity Capital: Having a Productive Identity Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What is identity capital? Can you use your identity capital to your benefit?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Identity capital is the sum of your personal resources. You can develop your identity capital by taking advantage of opportunities, especially in your twenties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more about identity capital and what it means for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Is Identity Capital?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An \u201cidentity crisis\u201d is <strong>a period of youthful exploration during which a person can collect experiences and try out different paths in life without risk or obligation. <\/strong>It\u2019s an important step toward developing an identity, and it has two main elements: reflection, through which you are thoughtful and aware of your life, and action, through which you collect experiences that help you learn about yourself. This collection of experiences becomes your \u201cidentity capital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Your identity capital is the collection of things you\u2019ve done long enough or well enough that they become part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/your-genius\/\">who you are<\/a>. <\/strong>It\u2019s the intangible currency we use to obtain jobs and relationships, and it includes your schools, clubs, jobs, hobbies, degrees, and experiences.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When having <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/define-identity-crisis\/\">an identity crisis<\/a>, many people focus more on the reflection piece than the action part, but it\u2019s those who strike a good balance between the two who\u2019ll end up with stronger identities and be more satisfied with their lives: better able to manage stress, more in control of their future, and find themselves following more original, unique paths. Seek out opportunities that will give you meaningful experiences you can learn from. Volunteer with a charity, work as an intern in an industry you\u2019re interested in, or take classes in something you might like to pursue.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to Develop Your Capital<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>While having your identity crisis, you need to be not only reflecting on your life but also actively accumulating experiences that will form your \u201cidentity capital\u201d: the sum of your personal resources. <strong>Your identity capital is the collection of things you\u2019ve done long enough or well enough that they become part of who you are.<\/strong> It\u2019s the intangible currency we use to obtain jobs and relationships. It includes quantifiable measurements like your schools, clubs, jobs, hobbies, and degrees. It also includes more unquantifiable things like your temperament, how you approach problems, and how you present yourself to the world through your clothes, your vocabulary, and your personality.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a difference between an entry-level job at a coffee shop and an entry-level job at a film production company, and during your twenties you must actively build your identity capital by seeking out meaningful opportunities rather than place-holding ones. Volunteer with a charity, work as an intern in an industry you\u2019re interested in, or take classes in something you might like to pursue. Avoid unmeaningful experiences that won\u2019t teach you anything and won\u2019t help you build skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Twenty-somethings who strike this balance between action and reflection spend their identity crisis accumulating interesting experiences <em>while<\/em> they are thinking about their path. These people construct stronger identities and end up more satisfied with their lives: better able to manage stress, more in control of their future, and living more original, unique lives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is identity capital? Can you use your identity capital to your benefit? Identity capital is the sum of your personal resources. You can develop your identity capital by taking advantage of opportunities, especially in your twenties. Read more about identity capital and what it means for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":31986,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,7,42],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-31974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","category-lifestyle","category-motivation","tag-the-defining-decade","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Identity Capital: Having a Productive Identity Crisis - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your identity capital is the collection of experiences you gather that helps develop who you are and what you can offer. Read more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/identity-capital\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Identity Capital: Having a Productive Identity Crisis\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Your identity capital is the collection of experiences you gather that helps develop who you are and what you can offer. 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