A Letter to My Future Self: Embracing Personal Growth and Self-discovery

I recently created this account. In part, because I am reaching an age where I am much more reflective about where I have arrived at this point in life, and I thought/decided that I would take the leap to start sharing a small part of myself with the rest of the world. This post is about why I have decided to embrace personal growth and self-discovery.

Reasons for Sharing My Journey

You see, I am definitely social media averse (or maybe the more self-aware description should be that I have been so up until this point, I want to leave the door open for the chance for things to change). While I created a facebook account way back in 2004, I never felt quite at home or fully comfortable being my full unabridged and authentic self with the rest of the world. Not quite sure why. Honestly,  I would much rather have deep reflective conversations with my small inner circle of diehard friends than jostle around for fake likes and smiley face emojis. Maybe you can relate…maybe not.

Up until now, I had somehow managed to never get onto twitter (oh excuse me I guess I should say X, idk…), Instagram, TikTok, etc. While I personally am ok with that choice, I also know that I am missing out (in ways) on the good that those platforms can provide. 

All considered, we all have goals, dreams, hopes, and wishes. I am no different. So, I have really been soul searching lately, and I have been trying to begin a better approach to sorting things out.

A Near-Death Experience and Its Impact

I would say that since circa 2017-2018, I have really been on a new journey of sorts. Life kind of grabbed me by the collar and shook me. What some may call a major interruption. And…I…honestly haven’t been the same since. I don’t think I have slept many full nights since that’s for sure. I won’t go into the particulars for now, but there were a lot of guns being pointed dead at me in a situation that could have gone every bit of wrong in a very fast way.

You learn something about yourself in difficult situations like that. Your mind quickly reminds you of what you really appreciate and value in moments like that. I can tell you without a doubt and with 100% conviction that for me it was not about my job or how much money I had or did not have. It was about will I get to see my wife and kids again, talk to my parents and loved ones again, spend time out on the water fishing with my dad and brothers again. 

The Message: “It’s Not About You”

It was as if time sort of stood still. It is hard to explain. Although so much time now separates me from that day (Over 5 years) it is as vivid to me as it ever was…. The message that I believe I was meant to receive from that rings true now, as clear as it ever did…, “it’s not about you”. I still am not quite clear about what that means for me or the life that I am meant to lead and live. 

The Journey of Personal Development

So, since that time I have been on a personal development journey in search of the answer to that question. What does the message “it’s not about you” mean? In a literal sense, if I was a small child and or a very literal person, then I could take the message at face value. Life is not about us and our selfish wants and desires, but life in some sense, should be about helping and serving others.

Life should be about leaving this world in a little bit better shape than it was before we got here. Humans have that capacity. WE ALL HAVE that capacity. The capacity to intentionally, thoughtfully, creatively, and intensely leave our small circle of the world and circle of friends and relationships in a better circumstance than before we entered the equation. We can truly be the joy and change we wish to see. 

Our Responsibility and Gratitude

So how do we then approach that result? That is one of the answers I have been searching for that still eludes me. Maybe the joy is meant to be in the attempt, in the effort, in the journey, and not in the end result. A lot of the things that I have read over the last few years seem to suggest that idea. To suggest that if you had a goal to conquer Mt. Everest, for example, the joy and the success are in the journey to the mountaintop not in the peak itself. I believe that we have a responsibility and that we owe it to ourselves to get as much joy from the process of living life each day and each moment of time in addition to the joy that we get from the goal or the end result.

I have decided to embrace personal growth and self-discovery instead of embracing despair because I believe we have a responsibility to have gratitude about life because no matter how bad we think our circumstance is there are always worse alternatives. As the quote goes, “Do what you can, where you are, with what you have.” Where are you on your journey? Will you walk with me?

A Letter to My Future Self

So I say to my future self, if I am able to put into practice the things that I have been reading and studying over the past few years, you will appreciate how far we will have come in 11 years. The culmination of the compound interest of small daily attempts at self-improvement. Day-by-day, little-by-little…

The Importance of Action

However, if I am complacent and do not take the NECESSARY ACTION, you may be disappointed at my lack of self-improvement, yet no worse for wear because that is likely and unfortunately the same point that I would have arrived at by simply meandering along with no real intent or purpose about the direction that I would honestly desire to head. Action is necessary for meaningful change and growth.

Invitation to Walk the Journey Together

Let’s hope for both of our sake’s (future me and present me), that I take heed to the lessons I have learned (embrace personal growth and self-discovery), and those that I am yet to learn; that I get the learning, take the action to apply it, track and journal the development and continue the path of growth, take the time and practice the mindfulness to get value and joy out of each step along the way. Are you ready to take the steps and see where the path leads?? Walk with me…