I’m tired of hearing people say, “I’m going on this trip to find myself.”
It’s just an excuse to escape, because life is a journey, not a trip, because it never ends. There is no destination.
Actually, finding “yourself” is something you either slowly wake up to, or continually rediscover. In either case, as you mature and develop — have life experiences — you add layers and perspectives to who are you are.
You are who you are, AND changing all the time.
You don’t just wake up one day and There You Are.
Well, there are a lot of sleep walkers out there now-a-days, but that’s not who I’m talking to. I’m talking to people who are awake. Who Know There’s More.
I’ve come to realize that even when I Know There’s More, I keep thinking that “I’ve found it!” and then after a while I realize — there’s more.
I’ve come to realize that this whole “Self” thing is a regular habit of discovery. It actually takes practice. The practice is a regular check-in with Self.
I revisit old questions to see if there are new answers. When the answers stay the same, that’s ok. It’s the practice of asking that’s key.
Every time I ask myself, “who am I now? What’s important to me? What do I really want?” I re-awaken and re-affirm who I am and build upon who I am be-coming.
It’s truly a case of “it’s about the journey, not the destination.”
At 40+ years on this planet I’m still be-coming. That’s a liberating thought. I’m not perfect. In fact — that’s not even the goal.
And it’s ok that I don’t (or won’t ever) have THE answer. Not about myself. And not about someone else.
The Practice allows me to be curious, and gives me permission to explore, adapt and expand who I get to be at any moment.
Make sure to be intentional about time to develop your your own personal insights. Use friends who are good listeners as sounding boards, schedule “strategic thinking” time into your daily calendar.
Use your vacation time to re-discover yourself and your place in the world. Instead of escaping a life you don’t want to be in — create one you can take with you anywhere and thrive in.