Who are you are becoming?
In 2001 I drove myself to Scottsdale Community College for a 3 day workshop with Dr. Douglas Brooks and one of my first yoga teachers, Desiree Rumbaugh. Douglas taught a lot that weekend. He is a philosophy professor and super captivating. What I remember most is him speaking specifically on this concept of BEing and BEcoming.
He used the example of looking at a photograph of yourself from your youth. There is a part of you that recognizes that youthful spirit in the photo and another part of you that knows you have evolved dramatically into the person you are today. The thing is, you are the same person, but different.
I laugh whenever someone says, “it’s the same, but different”. How can that be? I think of it like this, you are the same person deep inside yourself, but evolving/different in every other way. You have new interests, maybe a new hairstyle, likely new beliefs, values and ways of showing up in the world in comparison to the youthful photo.
In the yoga tradition there is a belief that there is one part of ourselves that is never changing or referred to as our BEing Self . This part of ourselves can look at the youthful photo and see ourselves at a very deep level. The other part of ourselves is constantly changing or BEcoming. We are evolving, shifting, growing, learning and shifting to life’s experiences.
So, the question circles back to, do you know who you are becoming?
I believe the theory that what we are doing today with our time, our days, our hours are setting us on a specific course. We are becoming what we are doing today. Our habits and daily actions have a kind of traction on our future.
- Are you choosing busyness over connection?
- Are you choosing to move your body over sitting around?
- Are you choosing to prepare healthy meals over eating out?
- Are you skipping the hike in the woods for more time at the office?
When we have specific goals that we want to reach, they are logically tied to action and how we spend our time. If your habits are aligned with your goals, you will likely reach your goals if you are consistent with your habits. It’s good to imagine your future self and the person you are BEcoming.
Take a moment to write from the perspective of the person you are BEcoming:
- How do you feel in your body? In your mind? In your heart?
- How do you spend your time?
- What habits/actions/behaviors do you practice daily to support how you feel?
- Who are you spending time with?
Notice what it feels like to tap into the life of who you are BEcoming. I like to think of this exercise as one that is in aligned with our deepest desires for ourselves. This isn’t about some kind of “fake it ‘til you make it” approach. If you can honestly tap into the energy of the person you are BEcoming, I believe you already are that person. You are creating a greater clarity, connection and confidence around who that is.
Now do yourself a favor and start living each day more and more in alignment with who you are BEcoming, beyond who you are now, yet anchored to the deeper essence of who you were in that youthful photo.
Apply to the ALIGN Life with Ease Course to dive more into your identity evolution as you shift your habits to align with the person you are BEcoming.
-----
Rachel Peters is a yoga teacher, yoga health coach, lifestyle and habits expert, easeful living advocate, and lover of wild places. She leads others towards Embodying Ease through a yearlong wellness & lifestyle journey to dissolve perfectionism, embody daily habits that promote mental clarity, overall ease, and deeper connection to life on this wild ride of modern living. Learn MORE today!