Adjusting To Who You Are

Photo by Aziz Acharki on Unsplash

We change. Over time, we change. Whether by design, intent or lifestyle, we aren’t the same people that we once were. Then why do so many of us still act like it?

We can experience times in our lives of extreme growth. We can suffer and learn from it. We can read and grow from it. We can look inward and get understanding from it. We can seek therapy and unravel our mysteries. But when placed back into old situations or when we interact with people from our past, we fall back. To how they view us.

When we do this we are living like who we were and not adjusting to who we are.

Who You Were

Who you were is important. It’s how you got here. But who you were is not who you are. If you want to be someone different, something different, you have to know your past.

You have to know who you were to become who you are.

You could have been anyone. Anything. And it doesn’t preclude you from becoming who you are. But you can never forget who you were.

Who I Was

I was rigid. I was naive. I was closed off.

I was married. I was a son.

I was sad. I was lost. I was struggling.

I was in my own head. All the time. Over nothing. I overthought everything.

I was combative. I was argumentative. I was angry.

I was unwilling. I was unmotivated. I was unhinged.

Adjusting

It’s not easy. But no one said it had to happen overnight. The passage of time between who you were and who you are could be anything. It is always developing. Forever. So each day you are someone new.

But sometimes it’s hard to believe that we are who we are. And those that don’t know or understand the new version of us want us to go back. But we can’t go back. Because there is a reason that we have grown.

We have adjusted over time to form a new being. Who we are now is not who we were. Those that can’t accept it, don’t accept who we are. And therefore, they don’t accept us.

We are adjusting. They are not.

Who You Are

Do you know who you are now?

If you do, great! But you will still be someone new tomorrow.

If you don’t, great! Tomorrow you have the ability to become who you are. And if not, you can do it the next day. And the next day.

Who you are is a microcosm of who you were. And where you’ve been. And what you’ve done. And what you have found meaningful. Insightful. Bountiful in your life.

Who you are isn’t aspirational. It’s you. Today. Tomorrow. Next year. Who you are is your mind. It’s your aura. It’s your passion. Your will. Your inner strength.

Who you are is a combination. Of who you know. Who you love. Who you trust. Who you believe in. Who you turn to. Who you would die for.

Do you know who you are? Is it the same as who you were?

Who I Am

I am Zen. I am aware. I am open.

I am at one with myself. I am a father. I am a writer.

I am content. I am on my path. I am well.

I am out of my head. Meditating. And breathing. I am letting it come to me.

I am calm. I am understanding. I am where I should be.

I am willing. I am motivated. I am solid.

Who are you?