“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. – Pablo Picasso.”
The places I find inspiration and motivation are often unexpected. For example this post was completely different before I had the pleasure of watching Kung Fu Panda 3 with my family last Saturday. I was surprised by how good the movie was, but even better was the underlying message between the black and white fur.
Grab your coffee cup, let’s get some reflections flowing.
If you have’t seen the movie I’ll give you a quick Clif Notes review: it’s about discovering who you are – separate from anyone else, discovering your potential, discovering how to take your talents and turn them into something great.
Basically it was an hour and a half of positive soul vibes about taking your inner chi, also known as inner peace and making it sparkle.
Naturally this had thinking about who I am, who I want to be, and realizing while some of our tendencies or qualities are set in stone, many are fluid. So who am I?
Well, let’s see…
I am…a sister, a daughter, and a mother. A mother to cats, don’t get excited.
I am…a runner, but more specifically an athlete. I fell off the workout wagon this winter and was hit hard by the lazy bug. I got back into a gym routine and signed up for another half marathon to help me get my groove back.
My sisters Nike’s may be cooler than mine….
I am…a student. Finally finishing my degrees through Arizona State University. I’m getting a BS in Human Communication, and it feels right.
I am…an earthy, plant loving, self proclaimed minimalist and I think a simple life is a happy life.
Because every self proclaimed granola needs a pair of Birkenstocks. On the left is my 10 year old pair of troopers, and on the right are my brand new pair of warriors.
I am…shy and outgoing all at the same time.
I am…a sugar addict, but try my damnedest to balance my diet with real food.
I am…a person that likes to help. Give me a task and I’m happy to do it, that includes cleaning the bathroom. Bring it on.
I am…a leader. At work I’m a supervisor, at home I set examples, and in society I don’t follow the crowd. I’m not jumping off the bridge with you so I hope you can swim. OK I did just say I like to help so if I see you struggling I’d put my 3rd grade swim lessons to good use.
That one time I was voted Partner of the Quarter. 🙂
I am…someone that worries about making other people happy. This has plagued me my entire life and I’ve only recently let some of this go. We have to march to the beats of our own drums, because at the end of the day we’re the only ones that live our lives. I just really like when people are happy. 🙂
I am…a foodie. Food is life, and succeeding in making a home cooked meal or baking a cake brings me great joy. #stillasugaraddict
I am…sensitive, and easily hurt, but am learning to accept who I am in each present moment regardless of what other people think or say.
I am…creative. I don’t give myself enough credit, but it’s time. My creativity shines in the kitchen, in my writing, and sometimes even in my crafting. We all have a niche of creativity somewhere.
Creativity – random food bowls.
I am…an explorer. The world is a giant cookie and I want to bite off as much as my sugar loving body can handle. Mountains, and valleys, and rivers, OH MY!
I am…a giver. Why keep everything to yourself, when the world is so much larger than what you see in front of you? “Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have. – Jim Rahn”
This is a constantly changing subset of a MUCH larger list, but notice how I don’t define who I am based on what I do for work, but rather how I live my life in the bigger picture. We are often many different things, all of which make up the blue prints of who we are, and it’s up to us to create and define a life we want to live.
Upon first meeting someone we often ask, “what do you do?” This typically refers to one specific thing such as a career, but what if we changed this question to, “what do you to to come alive?” This would then open the door for many different answers, to go with the many different tendencies and activities that make up who we are.
My inner chi is built on a foundation of love, adventure, helping others, giving what I have, and leaving a positive footprint everywhere I step. This kind of energy allows me to worry less, accept challenges, and leap with faith knowing that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to.
Take a moment to think about who you are (outside of your career, or in addition to if you LOVE what you do-bonus points for that) and see if you’re truly living a life you’re proud of. You only get one, so make it count.
Q: Who are you? Give me five bullet point ideas.
