The Courage to Become Who You Are

This quote by Mary Anne Radmacher came to me at a time in my life when I was wrestling with the person I wanted to be versus the person everyone else saw when they looked at me.

It provided some much-needed inspiration and support as I set out to make some massive changes in my life. Today, it still stands as a reminder to me that what once was need not dictate what can be.

It has resurfaced for me recently as I think about what it means to let go of the old stories of who we think we are and finding the courage to step into the person we want to become.

Courage to Become

E.E. Cummings once wrote that it takes courage to become who you really are and I believe no truer words have ever been spoken.

Choosing to become the truest version of yourself often necessitates changing something (or a lot of things) and change can be hard. It can feel impossible to shift your normal patterns, even if they are no longer working for you because at least they’re familiar.

But to fully own who you REALLY are means losing sight of what is comfortable and setting out into unfamiliar territory. It means letting go of the security of what has been to risk discovering what is possible.

Embracing the courage to become who you really are also means being okay with letting go of some expectations.

Other people’s expectations

Becoming the person you know is in you may involve disappointing other people. For the people pleasers in the room, that can be a hard space to navigate.

But allowing other people’s expectations to dictate how you show up, robs you of your power. It puts the pen of your story into the hands of those “others” who have no right to tell your story.

Your story is yours to tell and if YOU don’t tell it, it won’t have the impact it is meant to have. More than that though, your soul pays a price for not living out the story you were born to live.

In the words of the incomparable Maya Angelou, there is no greater agony than to be bear an untold story within you.

Your own expectations

In my 20’s I had a very clear picture of who I wanted to be. That picture changed in my early 30’s and recently it has shifted yet again. With each new chapter in my life, I had to learn to release my own expectations of who I was and what I was capable of.

Funny thing is this did not involve lowering the bar; in fact, the opposite was true. Every iteration of me raised the bar for how I saw myself.

The same is true for you. There is more in you than you realize, far more than you are willing to give yourself credit. I don’t need to know every detail of your story to know this is true because I already know there is greatness in you.

But to rise fully into that greatness, you have to be willing to let go of the stories you have told yourself about who you are.

Give yourself permission to see beyond what you thought was possible. Open up to the mystery waiting just beyond the horizon.

It does take courage to become who you are, courage to accept that your past doesn’t decide your future.

The real you is waiting for you to embrace her. Here’s to you finding the courage to become her and rise into your greatness.

From my heart to yours,

PS: If you are ready to let go of those old stories that are no longer serving you so you can step into the person you sense is calling you let’s talk. Click here to schedule a complimentary Greatness Activation call with me.