Becoming That Imaginary Person
It’s as if we carry an image of who we should become one day. Every day, we chase that image. We hope that one day we will be a “big” and “successful” person. We spend a lot of time trying to “be someone.” Someone successful. Someone respected. Someone intelligent, ethical, spiritual, and admired.
We hold a self-image of a person who is ethical, intelligent, worthy of love, happy, and full of great qualities.
We keep hoping that one day we will become that person. One day we will be big, confident, successful, and recognized. One day.
Until that “one day” comes, we keep trying and improving. We carry that image on our shoulders without realizing that it can become a burden. What if we simply let go of that image?
Hope and Becoming
We have a strong hope to become that future version of ourselves. But when will that one day come? Is it guaranteed? Why do we think we must “become” something?
An alternate way of living is to let go of all becoming. Release the wish to be famous, the richest, or the strongest. Stop trying to be the imaginary “good” person.
Who Cares About Your Image?
We try so hard to become someone. But whom are we doing it for? Who really cares if you are successful? Does the world care how powerful nuclear energy is? It only cares if it can use it for its purpose.
So why do you care? Who wants to protect this image? Isn’t it your ego? Some spiritual teachers say there is barely any doer. We simply act according to our past conditioning.
If that is true, then why burden ourselves with an image?
Stop Becoming, Be Neutral
Instead of trying to become that perfected “good person,” what if we live as a neutral human? A human is not stuck as good or bad. A human can act wisely in one moment and foolishly in another.
You are a human mind. Not a fixed identity.
In Control and Out of Control
Some things are in our control. Some things are not.
- We can put effort into learning a skill. But we can’t control getting a specific job title.
- We can help our kids learn well. But we can’t control which university they get into.
- We can act with our best intentions. But we can’t control how others think of us. Their views come from their own conditioning.
Our effort is ours. The result is not. When we forget this, we suffer.
Act Today as Service
Let go of the pressure to become someone big tomorrow. Let go of the image you are trying to protect. Just do what you can, sincerely, today. No image. No label. Only action—service expressed through contribution. Here are some examples:
- If you want to be a leader, read a little about leadership today. Act a little more like a leader today. If someone criticizes you, learn from it and adjust if needed.
- If you want to write, write today with the intention to contribute, without hoping to become a famous writer.
- If you act in a certain way and others criticize you, know that it is their perspective. It is your image they made in their mind. You are not that imaginary person.
Closing
Let go of the image. Let go of the imaginary becoming. Let life flow through you. Pretend as if the universe is acting through you in whatever good or bad way it is. Let your actions speak, quietly, steadily, and with purpose. Action today is enough.
One Point Ahead 