115 | Becoming Who We Want To Be
Hello beautiful humans,
I hope you all are well as we wrap up the weekend!
Today, I'm writing to you from the beloved "grey couch".
How do we become who we want to be?
How do we live the life we desire?
One of the clearest ways to get to the heart of these two questions is to take a look at the evidence of our lives.
Our lives, whether we like what we discover or not, reflect back to us who we are and what we value.
While we can have an idea of who we want to be in our minds or even a sense of how we view ourselves, the external is ultimately the expression of ourselves. Who we are is not just the way we think about things, but how we live based on what we believe.
The way we live is the sum of our actions, and our actions matter.
"Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become."
––James Clear, Atomic Habits
As I've been reflecting on the person I am and want to become, I've been disheartened at times to think about who I used to be or the actions I used to take, which has invited me to remember that a really important part of learning and growing is compassion towards ourselves as we navigate this human journey, as well as acceptance of ourselves exactly as we are along the way.
The amazing thing is that we don't have to wait a single second to start becoming who we want to be!
We can take one small action today and another tomorrow, and in doing so, we are already being and becoming the person we want to be.
If you want a super practical book to support you on the journey, I highly recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear, and if you'd like a summary to get you going, his two part podcast conversation with Brene Brown is fantastic (Part 1 / Part 2).
And by the way, can I just say I am so thankful for all of you being here! Starting this weekly letter again is one of the ways I am voting to be the kind of person I want to be. So thanks for being part of it, and I hope these letters are helpful in some way.
Sending love your way,
Shel
P.S. Here's some fun pics of my weekend, where I voted to to be the type of person who goes on adventures and spends time with the people I love. :)
