Full stop.

Good evening, I'm Fiona. Full stop.

These days it seems I'm always defining myself in relation to someone / something other: I'm Fiona, from employer x. From society y. From address z.

There's nothing wrong with being associated with something. Indeed, it's often necessary, and frequently helpful. But does it make it harder to know our own selves?

I remember as a 9-year-old child going on a school trip. We were given strict instructions as to how to behave - after all, we were ambassadors of the primary. "Nonsense," my mother said. "Don't you worry about representing the school. You're representing yourself."

Perhaps some of the oldest advice I've carried with me to this day. I gave up a summer temp job on my first day because I couldn't honestly sign my name to letters I knew not to be true (after I wrote the first few I went to pass the comments on to the marketing team as promised, who promptly tossed them straight into the bin with nothing more than a chuckle. I quit on the spot.). I've never lied in an interview. And while a great deal of my conversations are always on behalf of a bigger institution, the words are always carefully hand-picked by me, the author whose name sits immediately underneath.

But what words are our own? Those to friends and family perhaps - well, those who are not part of a semi-official extended network, at least. How many of us are friends with colleagues? How many times do we socialise knowing that our words should be kept in check? This is when my mum's "to thine own self be true" teaching comes into its own - for when we remember that we, ourselves, are solely accountable for our conduct, we can do nothing but keep ourselves right, no matter what the company. And if we can't, well, the facade was always going to fall away one day.

But before I sign off, a quick disclaimer: I'm not talking about sharing deep dark secrets with the president of your local photography club, or telling your boss you're about to propose before you nervously approach your hopefully-soon-to-be father-in-law. It's about being able to say "Hi, this is me," to anyone you meet. And everyone you meet. No explanations, no justifications - and no secret worry that they might have spied your latest Facebook status update. If it represented you, you should have nothing to worry about.