As we grow up, we go about our lives without paying heed to who we are and where we came from. We think that we are at an age where we have the agency to shape who we are as individuals and we have the power to define ourselves and although that might be true to an extent, the line between who we are and how we got there seems blurry. In reality, our disposition is influenced by the environment that we grow up in and the interactions that we have had growing up.
As we grow up, we pick up on defining characteristics of those around us. To make it personalized, over the years, I struggled to understand who I was as a person, however during my self-development journey, it was evident how the people in my life contributed to the construction of my identity. I discovered that I got my kindness and the ability to love from my grandfather, the ability to dream from my brother, the ability to cherish life from my sister, and how to perceive every hurdle with courage and strength from my mother. Growing up, we frequently ponder the idea that we are different and unique, some of which is true, but at the end of the day, some aspects of us tend to be mere reflections of the people we love.
Although, we as a society tend to deviate from the idea that we are an embodiment of those before us, however, we cannot be entirely true to ourselves if we fail to recognize aspects that create an association between us and them. To me, these people provided me with the comfort and satisfaction that I picked up on some of the defining and significant characteristics of the people that I spent my life with. At times, we see this as a bad thing, however, the truth is that when we are at our lowest, struggling to make ends meet, we hope to have a sense of compassion, courage, and the strength to combat these hurdles. It is during these moments that we develop a sense of envy, hoping that we could be stronger or more like those around us. The truth is, we have those qualities however due to the inherent need to be different, they tend to overshadow who we are as individuals. All it takes is to research who you are and how you can reach aspects of yourselves that remain hidden. Yes, every individual is somewhat unique but they have the ability to use that uniqueness as a strength and truly figure out parts of themselves that might not be visible to the naked eye.
The journey itself can be tiresome and demanding, however, we owe it to ourselves to discover those parts of ourselves that were previously oblivious to us. Hence, I am glad that I could be my sister’s smile, my brother’s motivation, and my mother’s strength. It doesn’t mean that my personality is defined by others, it just means that these people have helped me become a confident, young woman who spent her time being fearless and determined to reach her goals.