What have you been through?
That was the question I was asked unexpectedly in a conversation. Was I shocked by that question? A little. Did I have to search long for the "right" answer to this question? Surprisingly, no. I paused for a moment though. Gathered my thoughts and let the record play. See, the story I told the fella was just another story in my life. It was something I experienced. It was unique to me. It was me. It was what made me or at least a part of me. Like a chapter in a book, this experience established a setting. It had characters. It had a plot. It had a main character evolving throughout the story. The main character's evolution influenced not only his actions ,but the entire story. That was true here with me filling that role. At the end of this experience just like at the end of a story, things have changed. I have changed. I learned something. About myself. About the people around me. About life. Without this experience or any other experience in my life, I would not be the person I am today. I would not be myself. I needed those experiences. Not only to grow as a person but to define who I am. To be myself.
Who are you? Who are you when no one is around? Who are you when you are on full display?
Who are when you're at your most comfortable? Who are you when you are completely out of that comfort zone? Could you answer each one of those questions? How do you know that those answers are accurate? By tracing back to your experiences.
Once I realized this, I began to seek out different experiences. I still do. As eager as I am to learn about external phenomenas, I share the same enthusiasm with internal growth. Everyday is a new opportunity. Everyday is a chance to learn more about yourself. Sadly, though, most people are not like this. They shy away from new experiences in favor of the familiar, the controlled, the comfortable. They believe these new experiences and new environments are attacks on who they are. Who they want to be. Who they perceive to be. Who others perceive them to be. But in all actuality, experiences help bolster your inner self. Like how practice help refine your skills, experiences help reinforce who you are. If you can be yourself in stressful, uncomfortable, or pressure situations, you will have no problem with such in everyday life. Little things won’t affect you. Going a little further, exposing yourself to new experiences will help you evolve. Things you did not like, all of sudden are things you enjoy. A concept you did not quite understand, now you are more familiar with. The opportunities with this are endless.
Ultimately, you have more confidence in yourself by going through different experiences. By blocking these experiences, many people believe their comfort zone remains intact ,but in all actually it only blocks growth. It blocks change. It blocks evolution. All things needed to be great. To be extraordinary.
Be Yourself. Be who your experiences say you are. Constantly try to find who your are through those experiences. Don't avoid them. Seek them out. And with every new experience, use what has been learned in the past in your approach to the present; to the future. Plan. Test. Improve. Learn. Be Yourself.
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