Who you are is not who you will become.
Who you are is only in this moment. Who you are can change tomorrow, or it can change today. Who you are is only a perception of others looking at you through the lens you choose to show yourself through.
Who you are right now may not be who you were last night. Who you are today may bear no resemblance to who you were last summer. The you from school, the you from church, the you from hockey, the you from the band may all be different people to the viewers watching you at that time.
If you had to choose where you were the most like the “you” you would want to be, what you would come to the foreground? What “you” do you like the best? What “you” makes you the happiest. Life is about being happy. Life is about becoming…there is no end to the journey. Many people find that what they thought might be their end goal is just another step on the journey.
Where do you feel the most like you want to feel all the time? Can you capture that time and that feeling and maintain it?
For me it is at camp. During the summer I feel the most like I want to feel all the time. Not everyday is perfect and not every interaction I have with others makes me feel like I want to feel. But the place and the surroundings are the best setting in which to slowly continue along my journey to become. Everyday and every moment I get to work on me and being the me that I want to be. The person that these people see at camp is no different than the person that they would get if they ran into me on the street. I hope that the person is no different, that is what I strive for.
I challenge the staff at camp to become one person. Become the same person at home that you are at camp, or the same person at camp that you are at home. Choose who you want to be and become that person. It is a process. Becoming takes time and changing is something that you can do only if you want to. You need to choose the path that will help you become you.
Do an inventory of being. Write down all of the things that make you – you. Write down your likes, your dislikes, your favorite things, your most detested things. Write down what you believe in and what makes you smile. Write down your full name and the date. Write down your thoughts on the world. Write it all in simple sentences. One sentence at a time.
I am Joseph Matthew Richards.
I am 29 years old.
In two months I will become a father, for the first time.
I believe in the world and that we can change things for the better.
I believe in children and their ability to see the world with innocence.
I believe in the colour orange.
I believe in being happy.
I want to fall in love daily with my wife.
I like the comics on Saturday.
I like a good book, the smell of autumn and fallen leaves.
I wish that everyone could sleep on the beach of a large lake.
I love the feel of a cold lake in May.
I don’t like the end of summer
I believe in Peter Pan & Neverland.
I love mist on the water in late August.
I believe the year starts in September and ends in August.
I love to yo-yo.
I love Jennifer and Baby ‘O’.
I want to make a difference.
I believe that we only fail when we fail to try.
I believe in the power of one.
I like the thought of world peace.
But I know the trouble is in the definition.
I believe in the power of camp to change lives.
I believe in great teachers and mentors.
I wish everyone could spend a summer at camp.
I am Joe Richards.
This is who I am today, August 30, 2002.
To believe is a beginning.
What do you believe? Who do you want to be?
This is my 5th inventory of being. Each one is different yet has similarities. You would be amazed at how things change and how things stay the same.
This is the beginning of a new year. Make sure that you are on the right path to becoming you.
A journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step. What step will you take today?