Journal – Ryan's Blog

Seeking to Become

You may be the average of the five people you spend the most time with ^[1], but more so, today, you are the product of who you were yesterday and the day before ^[2]. “The difference between who you are now and who you were five years ago is largely due to how you’ve spent your time along the way.” ^[3]

So, who are you seeking to become?

If you like who you are today, keep doing what you are doing. But if you want to change, work to retool the habits which defined you up until this point. You don’t have to appease social norms of being the same person you were yesterday. Buck the tread and become who you want to be. (Do you believe people can change? ^[4]) Fight club and Tyler Durden show that resetting can be the impetus for your new, desired self to take hold. You don’t have to set fire to all your possessions, but find what brings joy to your life ^[5] . Don’t let your possessions own you ^[6]. “If you can’t afford to lose it, you can’t afford it to buy it yet” ^[7]. So as spring rolls around here in the US, what cleaning will you be find? How will you shed your skin to let your new self shine?

Just connecting some things I came across recently. Here’s a non-chronological list:

^[1] “You’re the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.” – Jim Rohn
^[2] Change Making Problem – Wikipedia
^[3] Who are we seeking to Become – Seth Godin
^[4] The Personality Myth – Invisibilia
^[5] Life Changing Magic of Tidying up – Marie Kondo
^[6] “The things you used to own, now they own you” – Fight Club
^[7] Mr. Money Mustache – The New Yorker

Journal

One year and three months ago I wrote this in my journal:

“I want to start writing more for my blog. I am going to start by making an effort to sit down for five minutes (at least) and note what I am thinking about. Time seems to fly by lately. It would be enlightening to have a journal of past events to look back and remember what was going on in my life.”

In that time, I’ve amassed quite the collection of musings. I thought journaling would naturally overflow into blogging, and while it hasn’t yet turned out that way, the practice allows me to focus and make sense of things. Today I began reading what I wrote. We’ll see what comes of it, but I’m already happily surprised and excited to continue.

If you want to connect thoughts in your head, remember events in your life, or track growth over time, take a snapshot. Write it down. Make the nebulous, physical. As time passes, you can go back and reflect.