I’m Eric Thomas and you’re listening to the purpose map podcast episode 6. Welcome to the purpose map podcast. The podcast for those that are unhappy, unfulfilled, and frustrated who want to create a life of happiness, fulfillment, and love. Tune in for a new episode every week. You can follow me on Twitter @The Purpose Map and on Facebook. Today, I want to help you answer a question you’ve probably asked yourself, who am I?
Let’s begin by understanding life is about creating who you are not discovering who you are. To discover who you are suggests you are already complete, you just need to discover your Self. To create you means you are a blank canvas, raw material, using experiences and relationships to sketch out and color in the person you want to become. With each sunrise comes an opportunity to decide who you want to be and to go about creating that person. You are constantly evolving, growing, and shaping, you. This creative process began the day you passed through your mothers womb and will continue until you release your last breath.
Neale Donald Walsch said, “The deepest secret is that life is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation. You are not discovering yourself, but creating yourself anew. Seek therefore, not to find out Who You Are, but seek to determine Who You Want to Be.”
As you are learning, experiencing, and creating you, the media, advertisers and society as a whole, are spending enormous amounts of time and billions upon billions of dollars to get you to accept their model of who you should be. Their model focuses on your physical attributes, shape, skin, size, hair, lips. Little, if any, consideration is given to the development of your mind and spirit.
Every second of every day you’re bombarded with messages and images of how others think you should look, feel and act. Products are created and beliefs are promoted that prompt you to become this fake model. This fake model has become an identity for many women. No one has shown you how to be comfortable with you as you are.
You’re told you’re too thin, too fat, short hair, you talk too much, breasts are too small, butt’s too big, thick waist, straight hair, curly hair, natural hair, stay at home, get a career, have children, get married, too temperamental, too hard to love, too emotional. With so many expectations and definitions, how can you ever settle on an idea of who you want to be?
Have you ever asked yourself who are you when you take off the shoes of a mother? Who are you when you take off the dress of a wife? Who are you when you remove the wig and make-up of a career woman? Who are you when you have been stripped of all the roles and titles?
Who do you want to be beyond a mother?
Who do you want to be beyond a wife?
Are you being the person in your dreams?
What is it that your soul cries out for you to experience but you ignore?
What is it you want to do that may disappoint others but will bring joy to yourself?
These questions will help you shine a light on all those feelings of frustration that dwell inside you and your answers will build a footpath to a place where you can create your Self. Summon that little girl inside of you. Ask her to remind you what makes you laugh, what fulfills you, what brings you joy? What are her dreams?
The foundation of creating you is knowing you are equal to, never less than. You have the intuition of the most high, the strength of a thousand men, and an infinite capacity to love. You are so much more than a wife, a mother, a career woman, a care-giver, a homemaker.
The journey to create you is never ending. It may be painful and difficult at times but along the way you will have incredible experiences, each one helping you define what you want to become and what you want to leave aside. Today is another opportunity to begin creating you. Seize it.
Until next time, remember, your only purpose is to be happy.