Creating Yourself

Life is not about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
~Unknown

I have often wondered what it is that I would do with my life. As a little kid you have all these wonderful, imaginative dreams of what you want to be when you grow up. And then you grow up having realized none of those dreams. We grow up in a world that seems so obsessed with success that we often forget about our true identity. There is so much pressure from the world around me to know exactly what I want to do with my life. I have always felt so lost and often thought I was the only person who did not know who she was. I desperately wanted to be that person who knows exactly who they are and what they want to do with their life. I guess I always felt that life would be so much easier if I knew exactly what I wanted. I didn't want to have to go out into the world and find myself.

So I was at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf one day getting my usual ice blended pure chocolate and then something caught my eye. I noticed some coffee mugs with quotes on them and decided to give them a quick read. I have always loved quotes, especially the ones that make you think, reflect, or inspire you. I came across the quote above and had this amazing moment of clarity. I was going about my life all wrong. Trying to find myself, it's crazy. I know where I am. I'm right here in this moment. So that's what life is about, creating yourself. It's so simply. I can't believe it took me so long to realize this. I have always believed that we create our own destiny, so how could I not know that I had the power to create myself.

So I guess in reality I have always known who I was and what I wanted to do with my life. I just needed some inspirational words to help me realize what I already know. I am just a girl who is about to embark on a new chapter in her life. I am about to graduate college in a few months, not knowing what career I will pursue. But that is who I am. I am someone who doesn't like or need to know what tomorrow holds. I live in this moment. I do have dreams. I want to change the world. I feel so blessed to be a young woman growing up in the United States of America. I can't imagine my life in a country that doesn't allow me the same rights as men. For this I feel extremely lucky. I have two loving parents who would do anything for me, and an incredible family. I am healthy. I am loved. I am alive. So I do know that I want to give back to a world that has given me so much. That is what my life is going to be about. I want to be a writer. I want to use my words to tell stories that inspire others. Someday I want people to be able to read my words in a novel or hear them recited on a movie screen.

There is no need to find me. I already exist. I have created myself and will continue to create myself everyday.