We are who we believe we are. Choosing to be different is within our control. Seth Godin’s recent blog post points out this opportunity. He told a friend of his:
“The person we see when we look in the mirror is the person we become, the person we fight to defend and persist with.
If you see someone who doesn’t have a lot of friends, then every time a potential friend comes along, you will find a way to distance yourself from the heartache of being rejected, and you’ll continue to not have a lot of friends.
If you see someone who isn’t happy with inputs you can’t control, then when new inputs come along, you’ll find something wrong with them and seek more control not less.
If you see someone who thrives on challenges, challenges will become a chance to thrive.”
Seth encourages me to show up every day and see the person I want to be. This requires I acknowledge habits of thought that perpetuate a self I don’t want. With this insight, he suggests I change the stories I tell. Stop the drama and the dogged discontent I narrate – to myself and to others. Tell better stories.
Then behave accordingly.
“If you want to become the kind of person who can teach an 8-year-old how to play basketball, you can start doing that right now.
If you want to be the kind of person who leads, you can begin to lead.
If you want to.”
Acknowledge the problem.
Decide to change.
Reprogram beliefs.
Apply new behaviors.
Again and again and again . . .
“If you want to.”
“But this is human life: the war, the deeds,
The disappointment, the anxiety,
Imagination’s struggles, far and nigh,
All human; bearing in themselves this good,
That they are still the air, the subtle food,
To make us feel existence, and to show
How quiet death is.” – Keats
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” ― Confucius
