security in the form of a label
must be internally harvested 🏷️
welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj — always up to something in social good x tech. scroll to the end for a daily roundup of unique opportunities. :)
security in the form of a label 🏷️
ps. this is an expansion on a previous post i wrote on assumptions x labels.
for many of us, we feel secure once we’re safely categorized. once a label has been assigned to a relationship, a stage in life, professional/personal progress, or taste in music.
we viscerally reject ambiguity because it feels both unsettling, and it is also difficult to communicate personal narrative to others.
labels make it easy to connect with others. they also offer a sense of security.
i believe security should come from self-assuredness, though, instead of the external reassurance of fitting into buckets that society has deemed sound. there should even be security in ambiguity.
it’s a slight mental switch that enables much more growth. once you genuinely let go of a self-assigned label of being the “funny friend” or “into country music,” it becomes so much easier to branch out and explore yourself. we feed ourselves labels so often that they stop being tags, but boxes we feel wary of escaping.
we’ve built up this identity tethered so tightly to certain labels that it seems like our identities fall apart once a jenga block is removed. there’s a cost to clinging to labels.
“if i’m not a ‘math person,’ i won’t even try.”
holding labels tightly limits curiosity, creates an inevitable identity crisis, and reinforces conformity. security in ambiguity is freedom: the ability to grow without fear of your identity breaking apart.
use labels to convey your identity to others, but channel that security internally and be comfortable with gray areas.
today’s drops 🔍️
participate in the nasa space apps challenge (due october 5th)
strategic data science internship @ salesforce (fall 2025)
contrary research fellowship applications are due sept 4th
i also write a bi-monthly update focused on my work and project updates if you’d like to check that out here.
want to post an opportunity on my blog? shoot me a line at harsehajx@gmail.com.
teehee,
harsehaj