What's in a Name?

Blog Post 2

I like my name. Steven is a Greek name, that derives from the word for crown. It is a versatile name, I can be called Steve for a change if I wish. One of the things that I do not like about my name is that there are various spellings for it. I do not like that Stephen is another way to spell my name, because it messes people up and I always have to clarify. I have a similar problem with my last name as well. Most people want to spell my last name as Costello, instead of Kostello, which makes identification difficult. Whenever I am verifying my registration for something with a person I have to end up spelling out my first and last name, even though neither of them are very complicated. Even Blogger doesn't recognize Kostello as a word, but suggests Costello as a spelling change. Steven can also be a bit of a common name, which annoys me, especially if I don't like another person who is named Steven, because it feels like they are damaging my name and there is nothing I can do about it. Despite these difficulties, I would not change my first or last name if I was given the opportunity. My name feels like it fits me, and after everything I have gone through while named Steven Kostello, I feel that I would lose some of those experiences if I lost my name.

There have been numerous instances when I have been both an individual, as well as part of a greater whole. In any sort of sports team, you have to be part of a whole, and put the best interests of the group in front of your own. If you can either give several people on your team opportunities to score multiple points, or you can score one point, a good teammate will allow others to score the points for the better of the team. Some people have trouble swallowing their pride and allowing other people to score points. This is part of the dilemma of being both an individual as well as part of a greater whole.