Becoming Who We Are

“Our job in this lifetime

is not to shape ourselves into some ideal

we imagine we ought to be,

but to find out who we are

and become it.”

~ Steven Pressfield

I believe each of us has an authentic self.

A self we are meant to be.

A self we must seek out.

A self to discover.

A self to become.

I believe finding our authentic selves really has nothing to do with “finding our passion.” It is much deeper than that. It's more about connecting with the inner drive and yearning we each carry. It's knowing that there is something true and authentic to us. And we have no choice but to seek it out. But there is little we can do to find this authentic self. Our becoming is a result of discovery.

We have heard it said that what we seek, we will find. And this is a great piece of wisdom to help us begin our search. But my experience is that what we seek is revealed. Slowly. Our authentic selves are revealed through the unique particulars that our lives present us. Regardless of what those particulars may be.

We each have families, friends, communities, and experiences all working together. They work by shining glimmers of light on our true selves. These glimmers help us slowly discover what already lives and breathes deep within each of us.

Countless choices help form the shape of the “selves” we show to the world. But behind it all, each of us has an authentic self working to find its way out and connect with us. It works moment after moment, day after day, and year after year. Experiences and choices that create a path for our authentic selves navigate. A path of our unique particulars. A path that allows “who we are” to reach our searching, seeking souls so we can “become it.”

Today, I encourage you to stop. To stop and take a look at your true self. Look at that. Look at the unimaginable series of unique experiences you have navigated. Experiences that have touched and nudged and directed you in a way that allowed your authentic self to emerge. And continue to emerge day after day after day. Look at that and be grateful. Then go. Go into your day still seeking. Still discovering. Still finding. Still being.