Unlocking a better version of YOU

“We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are” ~ Max Depree

This seems like a simple and straightforward quote, yet in its simple-ness and straightforward-ness, there is hidden complexity. This complexity comes in that you need to first call yourself out on your bad habits and toxic traits before you can become the person you aspire to be.

Sometimes, what you want to change is not momentous. But it still requires accepting that we are not where we want to be. For instance, if I want to get abs, I cannot remain lazy, exercising once a month, and expect the abs to magically appear. Both these significant and not-so-serious scenarios are relevant as they both play an important role in our overall happiness.

There comes a time in one’s life where you make evaluations. Evaluations about where you are in your journey and what you have achieved. This can be triggered by anything. For instance, a birthday. Birthdays have a way of making us reflect on our lives to see if we are still headed in the right direction. It can also be triggered by seeing what other people are achieving. Other people’s successes often make us wonder if we are also succeeding. This is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s beneficial to be inspired by what others are doing, as it pushes us to do more. 🌟

After having made evaluations, we sometimes feel like we are not where we want to be. This could be career wise, relationship wise or even with our personalities or the way we want our bodies to look. Evaluations vary from person to person because we value different things. Even though evaluation is the first step, it is not the most important step. It is a significant road that will later split into two paths: one path is a long one that leads you to become who you want to be and the other one ends where it starts. That is the path that allows you to stay as you are.

You may complain all you want about the things that you’re unhappy with in your life but if you don’t start working on who you want to be, you will never become that person. Here is an example: After evaluation, you may realize that you only care about your success and you don’t take the time to celebrate the success of your friends or help them with what they’re trying to achieve. You hear someone speaking about legal troubles but you’re not referring them to your friend, who’s a lawyer. Or you’re told by someone that their child is struggling with History, and you don’t refer them to your other friend, who’s a tutor.

That’s important. You have called yourself out. And if you want to become a supportive friend, you need to consciously do things that will help out your friends. You cannot become what you want by remaining what you are. You cannot become a supportive friend by continuing to let opportunities that may help your friends pass by. It’s that simple. But you have to realize your faults first. And that’s the difficult part. Calling yourself out and then working towards change.

Figure out the person you want to be and start being that person. You’re the only one who can stand in the way of a better you. You’re not going to become a business owner if you’re idle and you refuse to learn new things. You’re not going to become more confident if you continue to talk yourself down. You cannot become what you want to be by remaining what you are.

Leave a comment and let me know what you’re looking forward to changing 🌟