With the graduation season in full bloom, high school and college graduates are pondering the question of who do they want to be. They are also thinking about what they want to do with their lives. The question of "who do you want to be?" is not just a question for us when we finish school. It is a lifelong question that it is wise to ask throughout our lives. We are constantly evolving and our lives are unfolding in new, powerful ways. Our sense of who we are has to keep changing to reflect the changes taking place within our lives and around us.
Understand that life is about reinvention. It is natural for who we are to change and evolve as often as necessary. External circumstances beyond our control may create a shift in who we are and how we want to live our lives. We may discover that we have outgrown who we were and seek a new definition of ourselves that satisfies the person that we are becoming. The idea that we can redefine ourselves and our lives is powerful and liberating. If you do not like how you have been living, you have many opportunities ahead to move in a new direction.
Life was never meant to be about having one idea or identity of who we are. We have to be open to the possibility of redefining ourselves many times. We are never too old to redefine who we are or decide how we want to live. Our lives are always presenting us with opportunities to redefine ourselves. Sometimes, those opportunities may be so subtle that we barely recognize the power or great potential that comes with them. It is always our choice to use these opportunities, whether big or small to redefine ourselves. Keep asking who do you want to be next, whether you are 20 or 70. Keep finding something new to do with yourself and your life.
Here is a challenge to periodically ask yourself, "Who do you want to be?". Ask yourself this powerful question on each birthday and write down your thoughts. Ask yourself this question at the start of each decade of your life. Ask this question after you have experienced a major life-altering circumstance that changes the direction of your life. Ask this question when you find yourself feeling blocked by or unhappy with your present life circumstances. The point is to keep exploring who you are and what you want to do with your life throughout your lifetime.
Copyright©2008 Jeannine Robinson All Rights Reserved