“If you don’t know who you truly are, you’ll never know what you really want,” so alluded Roy Bennett. To Vironika Tugaleva, “You’ll never know who you are unless you shed who you pretend to be.” Let’s reflect on who you are.
Do you know that recognizing who you are is essential in appropriately positioning yourself to have more from life? As M. K. asked, “Who are you really? You are not a name or a height, or a weight or a gender. You are not an age and you are not where you are from.” In the words of Mary Kate, “Who you are is not determined by what you wear, the money in your wallet, nor how you look. Who you are is simply determined by who or what you follow. If you follow money, you will only seek after such, giving your all for it. If you seek after what they call, ‘fun,’ your life will be aimed towards finding a way to fame or a new way to party. If you follow the Lord Jesus, your life will be given to Him, and the hopes and dreams you have will be in pleasing Him!! Everyone follows someone or something. Who will it be? Choose wisely – you are important!” While it’s okay to work as part of making a living, the reality is that you need to differentiate who you are from your job, post, title, or position.
So, look inwards to determine who you are and let the awareness guide your steps. As Roy Bennett counselled, “Don’t let the expectations and opinions of other people affect your decisions… Do what matters most to you; do what makes you feel alive and happy. Don’t let the expectations and ideas of others limit who you are. If you let others tell you who you are, you are living their reality — not yours… You need to decide who you are for yourself. Become a whole being. Adventure.” If you’re still wondering who you are, Vironika Tugaleva offered this insight: “You are not who you think you are. You are not your fears, your thoughts, or your body. You are not your insecurities, your career, or your memories. You’re not what you’re criticized for, and you’re not what you’re praised for. You are a boundless wealth of potential. You are everything that’s ever been. Don’t sell yourself short. Every sunset, every mountain, every river, every passionate crowd, every concert, every drop of rain – that’s you. So go find yourself. Go find your strength, find your beauty, find your purpose. Stop crafting your mask. Stop hiding. Stop lying to yourself and letting people lie to you. You’re not lacking in anything except awareness. Everything you’ve ever wanted is already there, awaiting your attention, awaiting your time.”
As you step out, listen to Bennett’s counsel: “Do not let the roles you play in life make you forget who you are.” Never forget Vironika Tugaleva’s thought: “You’ll never know who you are unless you shed who you pretend to be.”
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Prof. (Engr.) Esang Esitikot is a professor of occupational health and safety, a COREN-registed chemical engineer, public affairs analyst, certified management consultant, World Safety Organization Ambassador, marriage counsellor, youth mentor, reviewer for some international research journals and volunteer lecturer at the Institute of Health, Safety, Security and Environment, University of Uyo. He works for an international oil company and can be contacted via 08035103559 (Whatsapp only)
