Who Am I?

Who am I? Take away your friends and family and take away the opinion of others and what they want you to be. Who are you and what will you be?

As the youngest in my family, I was often told of what I can and cannot do. I would hear never ending comparisons between me and my siblings to see who's doing better in life and who's earning more money. It was challenging in ways where instead of getting support, I was in for a competition. Growing up, I strived to be the best that I can be but I wasn't chasing my dreams, I was chasing money. I wanted to fulfill the expectations of others and eventually became a people pleaser to the point where I didn't know what really pleased me. I struggled with self-identity because yearning for validation became the epitome of my self worth. I put on a facade to show that I was confident enough to face the day but deep down I was lost—I had no idea who I was.

We sometimes go through life not knowing that we become a part of the things we hear and see. Sadly, we get so caught up in the environment of others gradually becoming their environment that we reek of negativity. But stop and think! Don't you know that you matter too?

1. STOP!

Close your eyes and tune down the noise and take your time to breathe. Breathe in and breathe out. Breathe in and breathe out. Breathe in and breathe out. Know that your environment does not own you. You own your environment. There are a lot of things that we can't change but we can change the way we react to our environment.

2. ACKNOWLEDGE.

Remind yourself that you exist and YOU matter. Despite the ideas that people have for you, remember that those are just ideas. You have your own dreams and you make your own reality. Sometimes we tend to go with the flow and have the mentally of, "If it makes them happy, I'm happy." But no, What makes ______(insert name) happy?

3. STAY POSITIVE.

Now this is the challenge that everyone really struggles with. There will ALWAYS be obstacles. When an athlete runs toward a hurdle, he believes that he can do it before jumping over it. What happens if he didn't believe on what he could accomplish? It could result to injury and or self doubt. In order to achieve things no matter how big or small, you have to believe that you can make it happen. And when things don't go as planned, remember that it's not the end so get up, get your feet planted and try again.

Understand what truly matters to you (dreams, goals etc.) and positively strive to breathe things into reality—recreate you

- SB