WHO ARE YOU?

WHO ARE YOU?

It sounds like a simple question.

Who are you?

If someone asked you that right now, what would you say?

Your name?

Your age?

What you study?

Where you come from?

Your job?

Your family?

Maybe you would mention a few things you have achieved.

But after removing all those things, who are you?

That question is not always easy to answer.

We spend a lot of time introducing ourselves through what we do. “I am a student.” “I am a doctor.” “I am a business owner.” “I am somebody's daughter.”

Those descriptions are part of us, but they are not the whole of us.

Imagine losing the job you are proud of.

Imagine changing your course of study.

Imagine moving to another city where nobody knows you.

Imagine failing at something you thought would work.

Would you suddenly become nobody?

Of course not.

But sometimes our identity becomes so attached to our achievements that when something goes wrong, we don't just think, “I failed.”

We begin thinking, “Maybe I am a failure.”

There is a difference.

Don't allow other people's opinions to introduce you to yourself

People will have opinions about you.

Some will think you're too quiet.

Someone else may think you're too ambitious.

One person may think you're not doing enough.

Another may look at your life and think you're doing extremely well.

If you try to become the version of yourself that everyone approves of, you may spend your entire life changing.

You need to know yourself well enough to hear people's opinions without allowing every opinion to become your identity.

That doesn't mean refusing correction.

Sometimes other people see things about us that we don't see ourselves.

But correction should help you grow, not make you hate who you are.

Know your values

One of the best ways to understand yourself is to pay attention to what matters to you.

What kind of person do you want to be?

What do you refuse to compromise?

How do you treat people who cannot do anything for you?

What do you do when nobody is watching?

What kind of life would make you proud, even if nobody applauded you for it?

These questions can tell you more about yourself than a list of achievements.

Because eventually, life will test your values.

There will be moments when telling the truth costs you something.

Moments when walking away is wiser than proving a point.

Moments when everyone is going one direction and you have to decide whether you really want to follow.

Knowing yourself makes those decisions easier.

You are still becoming

Perhaps the most comforting thing about identity is that you don't have to have yourself completely figured out.

You are allowed to change.

You can discover a new interest at 25.

Change your career at 30.

Learn something you were once afraid to try.

Realise that a friendship is no longer healthy.

Change your priorities.

Become more confident.

Become more patient.

Grow closer to God.

You are not required to remain the same person simply because people remember you that way.

Growth will change you.

And sometimes people who knew the old version of you may not immediately understand the new one.

That's okay.

The important thing is that your growth is taking you somewhere meaningful.

So, who are you?

Maybe you're still finding out.

Maybe you're a young person trying to understand what you want from life.

Maybe you're someone who has made mistakes and is learning from them.

Maybe you're carrying dreams you haven't told anyone about.

Maybe you're stronger than you realise.

Maybe you're still healing from things you don't talk about.

Maybe you're simply becoming.

Whatever season you're in, don't reduce yourself to one mistake, one achievement, one relationship, one examination result or one person's opinion.

You are more complex than a label.

Take time to know yourself.

Know what you believe.

Know what you value.

Know your weaknesses without allowing them to define you.

Know your strengths without becoming proud.

And most importantly, don't spend your whole life trying to become somebody else.

There is already a person worth discovering underneath all the pressure, comparison and expectations.

Take the time to meet yourself.

Because before you can build a life that truly belongs to you, you need to have some idea of who is living it.