You know me. I’m not the kind of person who:

Speaks up for myself
Listens to others
Can be creative
Says what I think
Tells the truth
Asks for what I want
Knows how to stop
Can stay focussed
Keeps my promises

Perhaps not… at least for now.

But the ‘kind of person’ you are is brought about by your practices (what you do, purposefully, again and again) and by what you pay attention to (your own inner critic? the assessments of other people? what ‘one does’ around here?) over long periods of time.

Or: The kind of person you are – your values, your identity, your normal and comfortable reactions to what happens – is actively being brought about by how you choose to live.

Or: You become what you do.

So it would be much more powerful, and freeing, to say

‘You know me, I’m not currently living the kind of life that supports me in speaking up for myself, or listening to others, or being creative…’.

And then to make choices. To begin. To purposefully and consciously practice. And to find out that what ‘kind of person’ you are is much more malleable than you think.

Photo Credit: Steve Snodgrass via Compfight cc