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Be A Contradiction

  • sent by Siddharth Anantharam
  • February 14, 2025
contradiction

"When you label me, you negate me."

- Søren Kierkegaard

Breakthrough Idea of the Week

Be A Contradiction

We’re constantly told that success comes from being known for one thing—becoming the go-to person in a niche, building a personal brand so strong that people associate you with a single word.

And while there’s truth in that, there’s also a danger: what happens when you outgrow that identity?

Here’s a recent contradiction that’s stayed with me: What if the key to personal freedom isn’t being just one thing, but allowing yourself to be many things at once?

identity
equation

Most people live by that equation without questioning it. But what if you started frequently doing things from your ‘who you say you are NOT’ list?

What if you stopped putting yourself in boxes that limit you? What if you challenged your own identity—over and over again?

The Chameleon’s Advantage

In the wild, the chameleon has a distinct advantage—it refuses to be easily categorized. It doesn’t lock itself into one color, one fixed form. It adapts. It blends. It evolves.

This isn’t a lack of identity—it’s mastery of transformation. And this flexibility is what allows it to survive, thrive, and exist across multiple environments.

Now imagine applying that same adaptability to your own identity.

Instead of being “just a coach” or “just an entrepreneur” or “just an artist,” what if you embraced the contradiction? What if you were a coach and an athlete? An entrepreneur and an actor? A poet and a philosopher?

The Genius of Unboxable Identities

One of my favorite artists, Austin Kleon, calls himself a writer who draws. He refuses to pick between being a writer and an artist—so he merged both.

One of my closest friends, Deepak Ramola, is a wisdom philosopher. But he’s also a poet, a lyricist, and a writer. It’s nearly impossible to put Deepak in a box—and that’s exactly where his genius lies.

If you ask me, the label I’m most closely linked to is coach.

But I also want to be known as:

  • An sportsman
  • A monk
  • An actor
  • An adventurer

Why should I settle for just one?

contradiction

Pause & Reflect

Pause & Reflect icon
  1. What’s an identity you’ve locked yourself into?
  2. What’s something you’ve always wanted to do but avoided because it didn’t ‘fit’ your current identity?
  3. If you had no label—no title—who would you be?

COACHING TOOL OF THE WEEK

Break Your Own Identity

If you want to break out of your self-imposed box, try this:

infographic
infographic

1.

Write down your current identity labels. What do you call yourself? What do others call you?

2.

Write down ‘who you say you are NOT.’ This is where the real insight happens. Who do you think you aren’t?

3.

Do one thing from the ‘who I am NOT list this week. If you say you’re not an artist, sketch something. If you say you’re not an athlete, sign up for a run. If you say you’re not a public speaker, go speak.

4.

Repeat. The more you challenge your identity, the more you expand it.

Final Thought

The world will always try to put you in a box. The real question is: Will you stay there?

Or will you embrace the contradiction, expand your identity, and evolve into everything you’re capable of being?

Keep pushing. You are closer than you think.
Coach Sid

PS: At The Breakthrough Weekend, we don’t just challenge limits—we challenge identity. If you’re ready to redefine who you are and break free from the box you’ve been placed in, join us. You are more than just one thing.

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