13 February is National Get A Different Name Day – the perfect opportunity to change your name to something more suitable.
W C Fields said, “It ain’t what they call you, it is what you answer to.” Life consists of a series of changes, and sometimes the name you were given at birth isn’t the name that really suits you as you move along the path through your life. When that time comes, it is time to put on a new name, like you would a new set of clothes.
Who are you at this stage of your life? What has changed about you? Are you more of a Lilith than a Susan? More a Faustus than a Michael? Maybe you have decided that Zaphod Beeblebrox is the perfect name for you, and that it is time for a change.
Congratulations! On National Get A Different Name Day, you have the chance to change it all up and maybe – in the process – make a life-changing decision.
This day has its heritage in cultures throughout the world, where – in certain places – it was customary to take a new name. One of the biggest – but by no means the oldest – religions, namely Catholicism, has a practice called confirmation during which you select a new name – which is often one of their saints’ names.
Sometimes, taking a new name is a case of a celebration – like marriage – although people are now hyphenating their names, keeping their own or even taking their wives’ names!
Taking on a new name can help affirm a new identity, which can be especially important if you are going through the trials of divorce. Sometimes you have issues with your family and you just want to separate yourself from them – whatever the case, it’s all about getting a fresh start – exactly what National Get A Different Name Day is all about.
To celebrate today, get a different name! You can select it out of a baby book, from your favourite movie, or even from your favourite fantasy novel. If you are an avid role-playing gamer, take a name from one of the characters of the game you love best. There are so many people who can be your role model or guide, and taking inspiration from them in choosing your new name might just be the push you need. You don’t have to change your name legally, you can choose to just go by this newly chosen name for today. Or, you can go all out and pay to have your name changed legally – forever!
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