Identity: how do you define yourself?

Defining our own personal identity can take a lifetime and to complicate matters, our identity changes throughout that period whether or not we consciously undertake a process of personal development. So what do we mean by personal identity? How can we answer the question “Who am I?”
The answer is more than just our given name of course - it is much deeper than that - it is a question about our personality and more. There are some obvious factors that we know from the outset just by looking at our circumstances. 

Identity through roles
In our day-to-day lives we may define ourselves through the roles that we play. These roles may include being a mother or father, husband or wife, brother or sister, son or daughter, colleague, friend or even enemy! 

Identity through our work or profession
We may define ourselves through our profession or our work. I am a teacher, I am an accountant, I am a lawyer, I am a plumber, I am an electrician, I am a chef ... and so it goes on. However if we define ourselves by what we do, our profession or work, then does this not oversimplify our complexity? Of course it does. There are many individuals who become lawyers, but they are not all the same, however they may describe themselves as a lawyer and this may be the main way in which they establish their own identity. But something is lost by doing this.

So how do you define yourself?
Take a blank piece of paper and a pen and write down as many words, roles, groups and thoughts about your identity that you can think of. Take about 10 minutes over it.
Then sit back and consider whether these are really the things that define you - are you more than this? Looking at that list, who is defining who you are - is it you or those around you via these groups and roles? And is that how you want to define your identity?