Maleeka T. Hollaway, Author, Life and Business Coach
Photo Credit: JohnJames Photography
When someone asks you who you are, what do you tell them?
I am not asking about the fluff you place in your online dating ads, or the bare minimum characteristics you tell about yourself during a job interview. I am asking about the real you!
The 'you' that you cringe about at the thought of people knowing.
The 'you' that keeps you up at night. The 'you' that you compare to the 'you' that you want to be. Are you following me? At the core of your being, who are you?
More often than not, we as people find ourselves questioning our existence. We have some kind of idea of what we always imagined our life to be but somewhere, that idea was replaced with our ultimate reality. We don't live the life we really want, we live the life we believe we have been given. We get stuck in the rat race of life- competing with the next person for the better house, job, clothes, or even the better family, only to discover we are getting nowhere.
For a select few of us, we wake up each day with the feeling of "There has to be more to life that this!". When we get to this point, we then want to know "What is the purpose of all of this (life that is)?". This is where the journey begins.
In order to find out your life's mission, your reason for being, and your purpose of living, you must go back to the source. That source is YOU! Ask yourself these things (get a journal and write it down-this way you can begin connecting the dots): What drives you to wake up and go every day? What motivates you to want a better life? How have your life events or decisions affected you? What disconnect is there in the world that you believe you can help connect? What pushes you do even question why you are alive at this very moment? How do you see yourself in the mirror of your life?
You must get back to who you are. Search yourself and pull out all the things you admire about yourself, but don't stop there. Point out those things you are no so fund of, those things that make up the unfulfilled side of you. In order to get to these things you must be willing to spend time with yourself. Uninterrupted you time. Somewhere in searching yourself you will begin to discover how and why you are the way you are. You will discover where you want to be and who you need to be.
As human beings, we are every changing, and developing. Who you were at 15 is not who you are at 30. And that's the way it should be! As a child, we had dreams so big and we held on to those dreams, until experience taught us differently. And that too is okay! Experience is great but change is the glue that holds the adventure of life together!
Imagine who you want to be and work to be that person. Tweaking little things about your routine life can produce huge results. In order to pinpoint your purpose, you have to first pinpoint who you are, and allow the mystery of free-will to take over.
The bottom line is, you must create who you are and not be afraid to be just that. Find out who you are. Find out who you aspire to be. And be that. Be your own kind of you. Unapologetically.
Maleeka T. Hollaway is an author, life and business coach, and a lover of knowledge and people. She is becoming one of the most influential and inspirational women for this generation of millennials.
Connect with Maleeka on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Periscope at: @officialmaleeka. Read more from her at www.officialmaleeka.com