The Self Defeating "I'ms"

When we talk of who we are, we typically come up with so many 'I am's'. Let's drop the roles...move on to the core you..... the attributes that define you.

If you think about it, you'll see that all those are labels. And as with any label, they could potentially be limiting.

We all agree that we're evolving beings, not just in terms of learnings as 'knowings', but also as 'beings'. Yet, we'll see that we're very attached to this image we have of ourselves.

Is there a contradiction there?

Is it possible that the "I am's" don't work equally well in all contexts? Can they actually be self defeating in some, as we're inextricably stuck in those labels that are us, and we find justifications to stay such. I'm of course talking of those times which can land you in difficult or unhappy spaces.

Let's take a few examples:
I'm a responsible person - Can this at times be a limitation on spontaneity?
I'm meticulous - Can this at times be a limitation for bandwidth and deadlines?
I'm dependable - Can this be a limitation on boundaries?

Soren Kierkegaard wrote "Once you label me, you negate me".

The same is true of self labels. When the individual must live up to the label, the self ceases to exist. 

All self defeating "I'm's" are indicative in these sentences:

That's me

I've always been that way

It's my nature

These are spaces that give you a finished product feel....that keep you from changing and growing. They are your past, that keeps you away from the 'now' fulfillment. Can we shift to the growth mindset in understanding and evolving as people?

Food for thought?!?