Challenge 5 – Who Am I?

“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Here’s a question for you to ponder: Who Am I? (No, not me – you.)

Have you ever sat down and really thought about it? When I think about changing my world, I often find myself thinking about the world around me and looking for ways I can make a difference – ways I can spread a little happiness around.

In fact, here’s one of my favorite bible verses:

I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:12

I love that “Be the change...” quote from Gandhi though because it reminds me that the absolute best place to start making a different is to look for things I need to change within myself.

Here’s another insightful quote:

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”  – Anaïs Nin

Oh Perspective, you are a tricky one sometimes.

So in order to know how I see things – how I see myself in this world, I need to look at who I am.

I decided to make a list of words that describe who I am to this world. I sat down with a blank sheet of paper, started my list, and I stopped when I reached bottom of the page. I ended up with 30+ words after about 20 minutes.

The first several words came pretty quickly: wife, daughter, sister, cousin, niece, aunt, friend…

Then I thought about the role I play in my community: engineer, employee, co-worker, neighbor, member, customer, line stander inner, commuter, volunteer, blogger…

After that, things started getting a little more difficult. I began writing down words that I felt were representative of the type of person I feel like I am: listener, hard worker, observer, challenger, determined, focused (I started running out of words ending in -er)….

Then it got personal.

I sucked it up and wrote down words I didn’t like about myself. Unfortunately, those began flowing pretty steadily: selfish, greedy, scared, insecure, infertile…

Next, I took another sheet of paper and wrote “How Can I Be Better?” at the top. I then took each word from my list, wrote it down and began writing ways I could improve that aspect of my life.

The first thing I wrote on each line was: Pray for ___________ every day. Most words I ended up with between six and nine lines of improvements that I could make. Some even provoked additional questions that brought out some underlying issues I hadn’t considered about myself.

When you make a commitment to change yourself, make it a change that will push you to do more.

God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control. ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 

You give your own life the meaning you choose. When you stop making the effort to find meaning in your life, when you allow yourself to become indifferent, to become shallow, to become bitter, life loses all of its beauty.

Don’t be naive or careless, stay alert and be aware of the world around you. Let your presence be a comfort and your actions powerfully calming.

Influence your world. Be the change.

Challenge 5: I think you see where this is going.

Part 1 – Make a list of words that describe: 1) who you are 2) who you perceive yourself to be 3) who you don’t want to be any longer

Part 2 – Write “How Can I Be Better?” at the top of the next page. Pray over each word on your list. Consider it and write ways you can improve that aspect of your life.

And…tell me about it.

I would love to hear how your list turned out. Everyone who comments over the next two weeks will be entered in a drawing to win the Happiness Willow Tree figurine pictured above! Either leave a comment on this post, or submit your story here.

Now go forth and Change Your World!!!

Learn more about the Challenge.