Be Who You Want to Be - Not Who You Are

I enjoy reading or hearing things that challenge my way of thinking. If I want to "be who I want to be and not who I am," then I must think outside the norm.

As a little girl I loved to play dress up, and one of my favorite places to do that was at my grandmother’s house. In one of her spare bedrooms she had a box full of sheer curtains. Some of them were plain panels and others had ruffles on the edges. I would use the curtains and my imagination to become a beautiful dancer. The sheer white curtains became a gorgeous flowing gown with a cape to match. Her living room would be my stage, the music would play, I would dance and the audience just adored me. What fun I had at being the world’s greatest dancer.

When I was pretending to be "who I wanted to be" I was extremely happy. However, when reality set in and I was "just me," I became content. Now I know some of you are thinking, "Hey, what’s wrong with being content? Doesn’t the Word of God tell us to be thankful for what we have and who are?" Yes it does and yes we should be very thankful, but there is a difference. Let’s look at the definition of these three words so we’ll have a better understanding.

thankful (thngk'f...l) adj. 1. Aware and appreciative of a benefit; grateful.

hap·py 1. Enjoying, showing, or marked by pleasure, joy. 2. Enthusiastic about or involved with to a disproportionate degree.

Con·tent (k…n-tµnt') adj. 1. Desiring no more than what one has; satisfied. 2. Ready to accept or acquiesce; willing.

As a child and most of my young adult life I was content to accept whatever life threw at me. I still had a sense of gratitude for the things that I had, but for the most part I wasn’t happy. My dream to be a dancer or choreographer fell by the wayside because I was content at being who I was, instead of pursuing "who I wanted to be." I believe God created each of us with talents and gifts, and placed within us dreams and desires. His desire for us is to be complete in Him. To be happy, enthusiastic about our gifts and dreams and to live life to the fullest. If you have accomplished every goal, fulfilled every dream and have completed your call in life, then you can be content. But until then, be who you want to be, dream big dreams, live life to the fullest. God sent His Son so that we may have life and have it more abundantly, in this lifetime. Don’t allow circumstances and people to keep you from fulfilling your dreams. I read somewhere that the richest place in the world is the graveyard. What an astonishing and truthful statement! Thousands of people die each year without ever fulfilling their destiny. They take their rich gifts and great dreams to the grave with them.

I have accomplished many things over the years, but I’m still pursuing the quest of being who I want to be. At times I find myself in stages of contentment. If I stay there too long I become stagnated and my dreams become cloudy. I have no sense of importance in life. So I must shake off the dust of contentment and forge ahead. It takes work and commitment to be who you want to be, but in the end it is so rewarding.

I have fond memories of those childhood times and I still enjoy dancing. Is it too late for me to be a dancer or choreographer? Well, perhaps that phase of my life has passed. But I can still go dancing. I can wear beautiful gowns, let the dance floor be my stage, and the audience (people around me), well I don’t know if they’ll adore me, but what I do know is that I can be happy while dancing in the arms of my husband.

Until we meet again, may your dreams be pleasant.

About the Author:  Lady Catherine has ministered to women for fifteen years. During this time she has been a guest speaker at woman’s conferences and churches. She was the founder of the Women of Distinction Organization, which helped women rise above the poverty level and find their purpose in life. Her company, Destination by Design is the Life Coach connection for women who desire to find balance in their personal and spiritual life. She is a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother. You may visit her web site at LadyCBeatty.48days.com, or email her at lcbeatty@bellsouth.net.