The Struggle Between Who We Are and Who We Want to Be
Are you where you want to be in your life right now?
Often without hesitation, the typical answer I hear is a resounding “No.
It’s easy for someone to say, “Well, just change it!” But the reality is that the change is hard.
For most people, especially passionate creatives, we’ve been working our butts off to make our lives better.
But what if the life we thought we wanted isn’t what we expected it to be?
Or rather, what if we aren’t far enough down the path of experience to realize those expectations?
In my travels as an Architect from one career position to the next, I’ve met many emerging professionals who want more from their careers, the work they do, and ultimately, their lives.
I left college dreaming of designing magnificent buildings, creating works of art that will be admired and used for decades to come.
But like most professionals, it takes time and hard work to realize those kinds of dreams. For many, those dreams won’t come to pass quite as we imagined them.
The Struggle with the Future
I recently met a young Architect who sometimes confesses that he feels as though he hasn’t accomplished much in his career. He’s a few years removed from college and feels as though he’s barely made a dent into the career he dreamed of from his studio desk in school.
What were those late nights for?
Why hasn’t the future he was promised begun to form?
He likes his job. He’s good at his job—especially for his level of experience. But he’s not where he thought he’d be by now in the game. He’s not a licensed professional.
He’s not this. He’s not that.
But…
Most people don’t realize that he’s spent a reasonable amount of time working on himself. He’s been on an incredible, transformative journey to lose weight, get healthy, and improve his life long term. And this is all within only a few years of leaving college.
Health improvement doesn’t become a focus for many out there until something goes very wrong in their lives. But here he is. He’s out there making a fundamental change to the future potential of his life.
Is he focused right now on achieving every accolade possible? No.
Is he focused right now on learning every possible detail of the profession? Also no.
But he’s focused right now on the one thing that will allow him to do all the things.
Gratitude for Our Experiences
The simple truth about life is that—although we don’t know exactly how long we have on the planet—life is long. There are chapters, and detours, and new paths that emerge.
When we focus too much on what we will do, we lose sight of the achievements that we’ve already made.
We’ve each made great strides in various areas of our lives.
Moving Into the Future
This year, I bet there were things you wanted to do that you didn’t get to. I bet there is work you still want to do towards your “better.”
As we move into the next twelve months of our lives, consider how much progress you’ve made.
What went well?
What could you improve upon?
What is one thing that, if you did it consistently, would radically improve your life?
Two weeks from this posting (on January 2nd, 2022), I’ll share with you how I plan my own goals for the year in a way that’s productive and fair to who I am and who I want to be.
Until then, I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
I’m grateful for you being here, and I hope you know that you’ve already done so much to help yourself succeed.
Did you enjoy this post? Get more nerdy insights on personal development each week via my newsletter, SideNotes. Sign up now by clicking the button below.
