Have you ever looked at yourself and asked “Who am I?” Am I the only one who finds this question difficult to answer… I can’t be, but I feel like I am. I know WHAT I am, that’s easy. I am a mom, a sister, a daughter, a co-worker, a friend, a follower of Jesus. I lead in various capacities, from church to work. I am a divorced woman, I am a single mom, I am a volunteer. There are so many things that make up what I am – but where does it say WHO I am? The fact that I cannot fully answer that question at this point in my life seems a little scary. My future rides on who I am and if I were asked today “Who are you?” I wouldn’t be able to give more depth than “I am Lisa.”
Has anyone found the answer to this question? Where did you find it? I feel like I know what I am, but even with the enjoyment and satisfaction I get out of all these things that encompass the “WHAT” about me, I still have the nagging sense of a void – that feeling that I have missed something I shouldn’t have in my life. I spend a lot of my alone time wondering where I fit – where does God want me to be? I feel like I am called to do something great, something that will help elevate others somehow. There are many times I have felt that flutter in my heart that tells me “get fired up! Something big is coming!” and then it seems as though nothing does.
Please, don’t get me wrong at all – I do not, for one second, dislike my life nor do I take for granted the blessings He has poured into my life day after day. I understand that I have been blessed with gifts – I have had people in my home helping me when I was not able to help myself. I’ve been given money by anonymous givers in the times when I needed it most. I know God meets my needs, because every time I’ve found myself in what felt like the end of a long and unwinnable struggle, when I feel like I have sunk the lowest possible and there is nothing but darkness – there He was, lighting my path. There He was to open a door, give me an extra push, and provide just the right person at exactly the right time. I do not believe those instances in my life were fate, not for one second. But even knowing all of this… I still struggle with knowing who I am.
I was given some interesting statistics today – did you know, that the average person in today’s economy will change career paths 3 times throughout their career? I was given direction about learning how to identify my career path and how I could achieve it – and I was floored when the first step was I needed to understand WHO I was. What scared me about this is looking around that big room, thinking “I must be the only one who can’t answer that…. I am 29 years old, I’ve had 5 career path changes in the LAST 5 ½ YEARS and I still don’t know WHO I am.”
How does one begin defining who they are? Well, as my 6 year old son tells me “just Google it mommy!” So let me tell you what popped up at the top of the Google search for “how do I discover who I am?” It was, again, exactly what I needed to see right now. It was an article, which started out by saying
“…Writers, philosophers, and even regular people have been pondering this question since the beginning of time. You are not alone with this question, and guess what? We are not a thing that is set in stone. We evolve, change, grow and adapt to things that are around us. But, who you are in your core is pretty much set by the age of 6. So here it goes nine steps to honoring you…”
The article goes into more detail, including listing out the nine steps and what to do with them. I have provided the link to this particular article at the bottom of this blog. Here is where I want to focus… within the first opening paragraph, it addressed my biggest fear; I am NOT alone with this question. The fact that we (humans) are not a thing set in stone, gives me peace about the fact that can’t fully answer who I am.
I read that statement thinking “now THIS is more like me!” I joke quite often at work, that I am just working my way through the company and will eventually be in a position to “take over the world!” as Brain would say it in Pinky and the Brain. I am a creature of change – I like the change in scenery, the change in responsibility, the change in challenges – when it comes to my career. I have “tried on” jobs that have varied in degree from managing IT support teams, to project management, to customer service desk, to resource analytics, to production support (don’t ask me about the last one, it was 6 terrifying months in a job that I still couldn’t tell you what I was supposed to be doing!).
Perhaps who I am in my career will be found in my latest venture, maybe it will open the door to take me one step closer. I wonder, if finding out who I am in my career will provide understanding to who I am all together? Perhaps this is a baby step process. I figure I would start with the most sane aspect of my life, which is my career. I mean, let’s face it, I love my children like crazy but I’m sure many of you can attest to the fact that single moming it with a 6 and 8 year old isn’t exactly the definition of sanity J
So what do YOU think about this question? Do you know who you are? What did you do or what do are you doing that leads you to an answer and a sense of peace about who you are? I would truly love your feedback on this topic. I think gaining other’s insights and thoughts on a topic allows people to see the topic at hand with views they may not have considered. So weigh in here and let’s hear what you have to say…
Who are you?!
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