Know Who You Are

Know who you are. Be true to yourself. Sounds simple, yet most of us spend years trying to figure out who we are and what being true to ourselves really means. I have a theory that when we are babies and experiencing the world in a nonverbal way and an egocentric way, we know. We are.

Then we start interacting in the world, we learn to talk, we start learning the rules that we are required to follow. Some of them are written down on classroom walls and religious tomes. Some of them are told to us by our parents, teachers, and elders.

And some, some are unwritten and unspoken. They are the rules and beliefs we learn by watching the people around us. Who do they love, who do they listen to, who do they fear, who do they hate, who do they worship? What kinds of things do they say about other people, institutions, beliefs? Usually we copy them, even if some of the things they say or do make us feel uncomfortable.

As we age and go out into the world, we meet new people and are exposed to new ideas and beliefs. We find out that the way we always thought things were is not necessarily true. We begin to question a few things --maybe our religious beliefs or our beliefs about sexuality or politics. Questioning a few things leads to questioning many things. We yearn to set our own boundaries and set of values. What do I believe?

If we are lucky, we find answers that satisfy us and help us figure out what we believe and value, separate from anyone else. For most of us this questing takes years and adaptation and evolution. Each person we encounter, each job we have, every relationship, all these things serve to change our perspective a little bit, to tilt the axis of our ideas just enough to let the light in.

At some point, we know again. We know who we are by what we believe, how we live our life, who we love, who we help, who we fear, who we worship, and who we hate. Our life becomes the canvas for the portrait of who we are in all our human glory, passion, and frailty. Today, celebrate you right where you are on this journey. Be yourself.