Two Paths to Identity: How Young People Discover Who They Are

I believe there are two main paths through which young people shape their identity—discovering who they are and how they want to exist in the world.

The first path is continuing one thing for a long time.

In my case, that was classical ballet. I practiced it from the age of three to fifteen—twelve years in total. I did not always love it. There were moments when I wanted to quit, when I hit walls I did not know how to overcome.

Yet, by continuing, I naturally developed patience, resilience, and the ability to face problems instead of running away from them.

What matters is not what you choose. It can be a sport, music, studying, or even a part-time job. It does not even have to be something you love at first. By sticking with one thing, you begin to see what you are naturally good at, how you respond to difficulty, and what kind of role you tend to play. Even if that activity turns out not to suit you in the end, it still reveals something essential, how you think, how you observe, and how you exist in a group. That process itself becomes self-understanding.

The second path is trying many different things.

At first glance, this seems to contradict the first idea. However, it is another powerful way to find your identity—especially for those who feel they have no clear passion or talent yet.

By reaching into many fields and continuing to challenge yourself, you begin to notice how you act in different environments, what excites you, and what drains you. These experiences become mirrors. Through them, you learn who you are.

For me, this meant participating in stage production projects while also serving as the head of the finance committee at school. The finance role required precision, which I knew was not my strength. As expected, my accuracy with numbers was weaker than that of other students. However, what surprised me was how effective my communication skills became. By organizing tasks, collaborating with others, and finding ways to make the workflow more efficient, I was able to contribute in a different way—one that felt natural to me.

Through that experience, I realized something important: I may not be someone who executes tasks perfectly, but I am someone who connects people and moves a space forward. That, too, is an identity.

Identity cannot be discovered by thinking alone.Whether you choose to continue one thing or try many, it is only through action that you come to understand yourself.

Both paths, persistence and exploration, quietly but steadily shape who we become.