What's in a name?

During recent conversations with friends, I've come to the conclusion that names are very powerful things. Our name is something that is very personal to us. They are an intimate part of who we are. They help to distinguish us from other people. So why is it that we go through life with a name chosen for us, most often at random, by our parents and often times before we are born and before our personality is known to them. Our names usually reflect what THEY like and want to portray. Is that really a good way to do things? Some ancient cultures, many that are still in existence today, let their children choose their own names when they reach a certain age. What an interesting way of doing things. I thought, "What name would I choose for myself?" Well, that choose was relatively easy for me to make but was it right? How could I test it? HA! Numerology! So, I plugged my new name into a program and read the results. Impressive! When I ran the same report with my birthname, I got the shakes over trying to imagine living up to what it said I should be. But with the name I chose for myself, it fit me! It was all about who I am already. How very interesting! I had chosen a more appropriate name for myself than my parents did. Now I need to go ask my kids if they like their names or if they would prefer something else.