Who Are You?

The best advice I received when I was graduating from undergrad was to, "find out who you are and remain true to yourself." Shortly after, I entered into a deep thought process, really trying to discover who I was. I wondered, how does one go about finding themself? After growing frustrated with trying to figure it out, I settled on the thought that people are who they are... we merely exist in the world. But shortly after entering the workforce, I needed to revisit this thought process and do some soul searching about who I was before I deviated from who I wanted to be. I have always been clear about who I wanted to be when I grew up, but in order to achieve this vision I really needed to understand and make peace with who I was. The workplace is full of challenges, both intellectual and ethical, so I knew I needed to figure it out sooner rather than later.

Through years of self-exploration, I discovered that who I am is represented in my beliefs and the actions I choose everyday to display those beliefs. There are some core traits about myself that will never change and there are some variable traits that change with age and with life decisions. I am an intellect, a Christian who is far from perfect and a woman. I am also a very principled person. In my eyes there is right and there is wrong, you either have integrity or you don't; there is no in-between. Also, there are things about who I am that have changed. I am someone's wife!! Sometimes I am still in shock. But overall, what remains constant are my core beliefs and my behavior that exhibit my beliefs.

As we rapidly but surely approach the new year, 2021 is as much of an important time than any to ask yourself, who am I? If you don't know, no worries! Start thinking about it now so that you can help guide yourself towards the person you want to be. Being sure about your values will help you navigate challenging situations when they occur. Trying to figure out who you are in the midst of the storm, is a little too late.

Use the last days of December to really start thinking through the traits that make you, you.

With love,

Val Barnett