Lately, I’ve been thinking about the difference between “What you want” vs “What you are.”
“What you want” is, well, what you say you want. But as I’ve discovered. Just because you want something, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s right for you, or even, good for you. Sometimes you can be wanting something for the wrong reasons, or be holding yourself accountable to a wish from your younger self that, perhaps, no longer suits the person you’ve become.
"What you are," on the other hand, is an acknowledgment of who you are now. Better yet, who you are growing into. This, I feel, is separate from the things we want (sometimes), as I feel like our wants and desires can sort of lag behind in our growth. Am I making sense?
"What you are" forces you to dig deep about what you’re really about. “What you are,” also forces you to let go of whatever it is that is no longer you.
I came to this idea today by doing a stream of consciousness writing in my journal. It’s been a while since I’ve done it but there were some things I was trying to figure out that couldn’t be deciphered by intellect alone. Anyways. Just a thought. I hope you find it helpful.
by Jason Lam