Who You Are Now Isn’t Who You Were or Who You Will Be
Take comfort in the fact that nothing is set in stone.
It’s hard not to look at the big picture of the world around us and not feel concern. This isn’t helped by the bombardment and overwhelm of stories about ongoing atrocities and awfulness internationally and domestically. You can quickly lose hope, especially if you doomscroll on social media.
There is very little you can do about the big picture world. Most of it is far beyond you and your everyday life. That doesn’t mean you should pretend it’s not happening or ignore it. Do what you can when you can. That means vote, protest, boycott, take any action that feels like it helps.
What do you do the rest of the time? Maybe learn more about yourself. Specifically, get to know your inner being. Be present in the here and now and see why you are who/what/where/how and why you are.
For many people, this idea is terrifying. Why? Because many of the narratives of the world imply or state outright that you should be more/greater/bigger than you are. But that’s according to who? There is no overarching authority over you, your choices, decisions, and experiences. Who you are isn’t the design of anyone else.
The truth is, neither is who you were or who you will be. Recognizing this is empowering, which is healthy when so many outside forces focus on disempowering. Who you are isn’t who you were or who you will be because you can act to change it.
Real limitations vs artificial limitations
Before I get into limitations, one very important caveat: The past has come and gone. There is no changing it. Who you were is who you were, and that’s all there is to it. But you can make new choices and decisions in the here and now to change. Hence, who you are isn’t who you were. Close, maybe, similar, perhaps, but not the same. Why? Because change is inevitable and the only constant in the Universe.
Okay, moving on. Another factor that people frequently cite as a reason for who they are/were/will be is limitations. The trouble is, most people don’t recognize or acknowledge real limitations vs artificial ones.
I used to love complex hikes that involved rock scrambling. Climbing around massive boulders was so much fun. Now, however, I’m not sure I have the agility I did before. Why? Real limitations due to joint damage and wear. That’s not to say I can’t do work to overcome them, but at this moment, they exist.
Other real limitations include finances, environment, certain responsibilities, and similar factors. Fortunately, many of these aren’t set in stone and can be altered.
Artificial limitations, however, exist all over the place. Most of these center around BS like race, age, misconceptions of time, class, and false values of lack, scarcity, and insufficiency of the immaterial/intangible. Not enough “X” for you to do “Y” and so on.
Once you start to apply active conscious awareness – mindfulness – you start seeing the real for the artificial. In either instance, you also start seeing potential and possibilities for changing things in and for your life.
Because who you are now isn’t who you were or who you will be.
Who you are now is not set in stone
People frequently talk about how this, that, or the other thing is what it is and has always been. Except, in truth, that’s not the case. Why? Because everything everywhere changes. Change is the only constant in the universe. Everyone, everything, everywhere changes. Oceans become deserts, children become adults, nations fade into history, and so on.
Who you are now is not who you were. There are definitely similarities and elements that are largely unchanged, but they’re not the same. Thus, who you will be is not who you are now.
If you’re dissatisfied with who you are now in any way, you can change it. However, there’s no magic pill. The Secret – the Law of Attraction – doesn’t work like a genie in a bottle. Nobody can bring anything into being from the pure void. Conscious reality creation is possible, but not without time, work, and effort.
To start to make any change at all in yourself, you must be consciously aware. This requires active mindfulness to recognize, here and now, who, what, where, how, and why you are.
To begin, you just need to ask these questions that you can only answer in this moment:
- What am I thinking?
- What am I feeling?
- How am I feeling?
- What are my intentions?
- Is my approach (to this, that, or the other thing) positive or negative?
- What am I doing?
All of these questions activate your conscious awareness. When your conscious mind is engaged, you get clarity about your mindset/headspace/psyche self. That clarity opens the way to change anything not sitting well with you.
The other thing this does is open you to look at your subconscious beliefs, values, habits, and memories. By mindfully examining these, you can see if any no longer seem to fit you.
Who you are is up to you
Things that you’ve learned, done, and experienced along the way shape you. Who you are has been developed from who you were. Some people work with this and strive to direct and guide that. Others allow rote, routine, habit, and their subconscious to do most of the heavy lifting.
The downside to letting your subconscious do the work is that you cede your power. That’s how you wind up wondering how you got here, why you feel dissatisfied, and as if someone else forced your hand.
Nobody can make anyone do anything. That’s because nobody but you is in your head, heart, and soul – and vice versa. Ergo, you alone can make your choices and decisions. But that doesn’t mean people don’t just let life live them and go with the flow and allow others to influence, sway, or direct them. But that is a choice.
In the madness of this world, you can get caught up in all the bits you have zero control over and get washed away in the overwhelming negativity. Or, you can take a step back, recognize and acknowledge that shit is going on, but focus on what you can control, even a little bit. You.
My Pathwalking philosophy centers on mindfulness to be more present. Being more present lets you choose who you are. When you choose who you are, you become empowered. Empowered people tend to empower others.
Ever notice how miserable most of our so-called leaders appear to be? Trump, Putin, Netanyahu? They’re not at all joyful in any way. Each of them is unpleasant, angry, and appears distressed. I presume that they all feel lacking and disempowered. Which is why I think they do the terrible things they do.
You and I can’t help them. But we can help ourselves.
Empowerment empowers
Most of the notions of power are utterly artificial. Kings, Presidents, and Masters of industry all come and go. Money is made and lost. Resources are found, used, and replaced. Everything that people turn to when it comes to power is artificial.
Over the last century or so, we’ve gained new technology and connectivity that’s changed the world. That change, however, has been too fast for many and created new artificial gaps. It’s easy to get focused on all of that and lose sight of yourself.
You alone are in your head, heart, and soul. Nobody but you can see through your eyes, think with your mind, love with your heart, and so on. Maybe you have challenging circumstances, struggles, real-world issues, and so on. Yet you have the power to choose your thoughts, feelings, intentions, actions, and approach, and change anything that doesn’t suit you.
Who you are isn’t who you were or who you will be. You’re empowered to make choices and decisions to be who, what, where, how, and why you desire. It’s up to you to recognize the artificial from real limitations and work with/through/around them in whatever way you can.
When more people are empowered, that creates more empowered people. It’s like beacons of light drawing more people to light up. That’s why so many of our so-called leaders want us disempowered. Because they think they gain control over us. But they don’t. Not really.
It’s important to be mindful of the world outside yourself, but who you are isn’t necessarily a product of that. And if you find that it is, you can make new choices and decisions to change it.
Do you see that who you are isn’t who you were or who you will be?
This is the seventh-hundred-forty-ninth (749) exploration of my Pathwalking philosophy. These weekly essays are my ideas for – and experiences with – applying mindfulness and positivity to walk along a chosen path of life to consciously create reality.
I share my philosophy because I desire to make a difference in the world and help as many people as I can to find their empowerment with conscious reality creation.
Thank you for joining me. Feel free to share and/or repost where it might do good for you and others.
The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available here.
Also, please check out my author website for the rest of my published fiction and nonfiction works.
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