That's not my name!

I don't know about you, but my name matters to me. It's about how I perceive myself, introduce myself, and an important part of my identity. Given to me by my parents, a name with a special meaning, they'd wanted me to have.  It's been following me for many years and I've heard it in many different ways: with an american, french or norwegian accent... spoken in anger, shouted out in joy, whispered softly in adoration. No matter how it is uttered, it still acknowledges me and my existence. Sometimes people call me other names: "Hey you", "Sweetheart", "Creative chick" or "Bitch". Those names only describe people's opinion about me or the role they'd like me to have,  and I shouldn't care... but it's so easy to be affected by those names, clinging to me like lables or judgments... I don't want to be called names, I want to be ME!

                                                                            "That's not my name" by The Ting Tings...

So what about it? Next time you'd like to address someone, how about using their name? 'Cause you know... in doing so, you acknowledge their existence and you might just find the way to their heart, instead of making them feel like another anonymous nobody?