A clear and mindful vision of who you are and wish to become can help you overcome feelings of inadequacy and other negative messaging.
I could genuinely feel a sense of worthiness in me again. It felt like a dark cloud lifted from my mind, and I could see things as they were. I came across a few quotes from James Clear, the author of the book Atomic Habits. It resonated with me and helped me create an inspiring self-image.
"The type of person you want to become is often more important than the goal you want to reach. When you focus on who you want to be, you begin to understand your values and beliefs, and your habits will follow suit."
"Every action you take is a vote for the person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but votes will build up, and so does the evidence of your new identity."
From the book Atomic Habits by James Clear
It was time to envision the person I wanted to be. For many months I just allowed myself to be absorbed in learning about what it is to have a vision for yourself in life.
I took inspiration from many great thinkers like Swami Vivekananda and James Allen. They beheld beautiful visions throughout their lives, inspiring them and giving them the energy to pursue their goals.
Swami Vivekananda, a celebrated free-thinking leader and a powerful orator, had many ideals set for India, my country. His ideals were self-reliance, a robust economy, and empowering youth. These ideals and many more were his driving force when serving India.
James Allen was a writer, thinker, and author of several books on the power of thought. Here's what he said about visions and ideals.
"He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it… Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so shall you become."
From the book As A Man Thinketh by James Allen.
I've always had a purpose that's bigger than me. I wasn't aware, but I always followed my heart's call. When channeled with good intentions, storytelling, arts, and speech are potent forces for bringing good to the world. I've always followed those moments of inspiration, even though it would seem impossible or messy.
To have creative artistic gifts and to be aware of them is a matter of good fortune. So it becomes a matter of great importance to pursue them even if the odds are against you or if it feels like you are alone, blazing your own trail. It would always bring good to the world to some degree.
What if I could write an inspiring memoir to encourage and inspire change in readers? An endeavor such as that certainly is a grand big goal. But what values do I need to embody to make this happen?
I needed to ground myself and start small with something a little further than where I am right now. I could align it with my bigger vision, but it should be something bite-sized that I could see myself pursuing. Otherwise, just imagining the big ideas overwhelmed me.
A good nearest idea for me is offering my natural storytelling skills to add value to people's lives. For example, I could write and share my life learnings with people. I could talk and document the lessons I learned while accomplishing my professional journey and share them with people as a knowledge resource.
There could be many creative ways and opportunities through which I could offer my storytelling skills to add value. I knew I could do this with the fullness of my heart. I could now see how focusing on the smaller vision aligned me with that distant vision of writing a personal memoir. It would help me embody my values of empathy, service, patience, creativity, and wisdom. It would help me stay on course and make me the person I will be one day.
This new awareness and practice kept me grounded and stopped the comparison scare completely. It nourished my mind and inspired me to act. I didn't feel small or big in front of anyone. I did not feel disturbed by people's behavior or what they imagined about me anymore.
I could now see how this simple exercise protected me from comparisons and grounded me in my power.
I now feel calm, and in those situations when people compare me, I willingly turn my focus on the type of person I want to become.
Deepti is a storyteller at heart, a lifelong lover of learning, and an advocate for empowering the visions of aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide. Deepti hails from Kolkata, India.
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