To be or not to be

I read a church article a couple weeks ago that got me thinking about myself and what I wanted to be . . . when I grow up. So often I make goals for myself, and make a list of my 20 wishes, or make a list of to do things. But my point is, these are all physical things. Things that I want to do. What about things that I want to be?


If I make a list of things that I want to be, it will cause me to put forth actions that will give me results toward my goals. Knowing what I want to be, will determine my priorities, and my priorities will determine my choices I make, my choices will determine my actions, and my actions will give me results. My actions will cause changes, and these changes will cause growth and achievements, and those in turn will determine my "being".

If I say I want to be a great martial artist, then I know that in order to be that, I have to have a plan to become that. I have to attend my classes, (priorities), listen to my instructor and have faith in the things he tells me I need to do in order to attain my goal of being a great martial artist, (choices), as well as train consistently and with conviction, (actions). Even though, I don't like to do demos, I will put forth an effort to do demos as my instructor has suggested I do. Why? Because he knows that doing a demo will give me results towards being a great martial artist. That is just one of the tools he has given me, along with many others. If I really and truly, in my heart, want to be a great martial artist, I will do those things required of me. These things I want to be are true passions of my heart, and I will act on them. If I really and truly want to be a good parent, I will make right choices about my children's upbringing, love them, have patience with them, hold them, spend time with them, and at all times, let them know that they are important to be.

My 20 wishes of things I want to do are not a bad thing. Not at all. The weekend before last, i fulfilled one of those wishes by climbing a Via Ferrata. When we reach outside of the box and do things that we are not usually accustomed to, we grow in so many areas, and become a better person. The difference here is that I have no control over what the outcome is, until I have had the experience. When I make a list of what I want to be, the outcome is already determined. I know where I want my actions to take me.

I have made a list of the things I want to "Be", and added it to my blog. I found it real easy to come up with 20, and I am not sure if that means I have a long ways to go, or just high expectations of myself. I like to think the latter. By writing these things down, and seeing them clearly, it is a constant reminder to me, of where I want to go, which seems to come to the forefront when I am placed in a situation where I have to make choices. I was in a situation once where I started to notice myself slipping into someone I did not want to be. That recognition caused me to think back on what I wanted to be and so I changed my actions to reflect that. I am not one to go about life and just see what happens and where I end up. What I am doing, how I act, how I spend my time, how physically fit I am, and all the other where when and hows, are my own doing, and mine alone. I determine where my life is headed, and I try to always make the right choices to see that I travel the journey that is best for me and my family. This now includes my list of who I want to be.