When I was in High School, I really wanted to be a teacher. I thought it would be a great profession. Whenever anybody asked me what I wanted to do after High School, I would tell them this dream. I almost alway received the same response – "you won't be able to make enough money to support your family."
At first, I laughed, but pretty soon I started believing them and then I changed my dream. I didn't think much about it at the time, but now, I can look around and see many friends and acquaintances who are teachers, and they seem to be able to support their families without any problems.
This evidence reminds me that life is an experience that we create. We are actually free to be whoever we want to be. It is true our choices, and the resulting consequences point us down various paths, but we are free to make new choices every day. Each choice we make, becomes a defining moment. It either propels us forward, or sinks us backward.
Defining You
One of the most powerful questions we can ever ask ourselves is the question, “Who am I?” Thinking of our many unique qualities as we answer provokes individual awareness in a way few other questions can.
Because of the complexity of the question, many fail to gain the clarity of thought needed to really answer it. Yet this is a question that must be answered if we are to reach for our ultimate success, even our true potential.
For many, the answer to this question is a synopsis of what they do. This answer, by itself, can never inspire. While it is true that what we do is a part of who we are, the real answer is much deeper than that. I have long looked for a formula that clearly states the components of identity. It is a work in progress, so I share it with you with an invitation to add your thoughts.
Here goes:
Our Identity is eternal. It has always been there, and it always will be there. For some reason, the birthing experience into this world, creates a cloud over this identity. One of the purposes of this life is to rediscover our identity through the choices placed before us. The task of discovering it, is influenced by our achievements and our failures, but not determined by them. In fact, the more we focus on these two items the more we actually mask our true identity. In order to see things as they really are, we must be willing to put things in order. This requires us to find a sense of harmony between what we do, and who we are.
Our whole, is made up of the relationships we create, the talents we develop, the energy we generate, and the connection we make with the spiritual nature of our being. Until we learn how to bring these four areas into balance, we will be incapable of understanding the awesome nature of our true identity because it will remain in an immature state.
When we focus too much energy in any one of the four areas, we move away from what is real and create an illusion of fulfillment. This illusion provides a counterfeit moment that temporarily satisfies our desire to know who we are, but if we continue in that direction our satisfaction wanes and we find ourselves searching again. When these moments disappear we are left in a lost state and must start all over. Authentic awareness only comes when we have balance in the four areas. Nothing else satisfies.
