Real Talk with Ryz: Who Are You?

Who are you?  Now be honest, how many of you started to hear The Who playing in your head when you read this question? While you jam out to the song playing in your head, and likely saying, “That was such a good song,” it doesn’t answer the original question.  Seriously, who are you?  Like the distraction with your mental jukebox we just experienced, so often we distract ourselves from answering this very question.  

Finding out who we are is not as easy as dreaming what we want to become.  Answering this question requires an honest assessment that we are not ready to face.  From physical and personality flaws, to hereditary traits we may not like in our parents that have been passed down to us, there are blemishes we focus on rather than the amazing elements that make us unique.  However, what defines us and answers this question is much more than just traits or characteristics.  

If you think about the question, it asks who you are, not why you are, how you are, or even what you are.  The what and why questions are variables; they change with situations, factors and other influences.  But you, who you are, well, tigers don’t change their stripes.  You are a more than just a physical being: you are a provider, a colleague, a sibling, a child, a parent, a guardian, a partner, a follower, a leader, a friend.  Who you are is why people surround you, love you, care for you and cheer you on.  The unconditional support, regardless of whether or not you miss a note, mess up a lyric or stumble while you dance to the tune, is because of who you are, not what you are.  

When you search into answering that question, you find out that you are even more amazing than you may have hoped or expected.  But it requires honesty and acceptance, just as you are honest and except the people around you for who they are.  And as you answer this question, you may also find out that you reintroduce yourself to you, falling in love with the person you are, not what you were or hope to be.  

The answer to this is not easy and it is not quick to come by.  But, understanding who you are, and accepting it, leads to a journey of contentment and confidence.  The best part of all of this, is that there is no one else like you, no one else that can be like you and no one else that matters more in this world to the people around you.  You are you and that, in and of itself, is amazing.  So the next time you hear the guitar and bass kick in at the beginning of this hit song, take a deep breath in and smile, knowing that the answer to it is way more gratifying and entertaining than the song itself.  Regardless of how you answer it, know that I’m here for you if you need me….that’s just who I am.

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