 I am!
by John R. Barker
I am.
I am a man.
I am blond.
I am a husband.
I am a coach.
I, like you, hold a long list of
identities. These beliefs about who I am are
based upon my experiences of life.
These beliefs about who I am also shape
the choices I make, the actions I take and ultimately create my destiny – the legacy
of my life.
The great philosopher Neville wrote,
“The very center of consciousness” – and nothing exists but that which we
are conscious of – “is the feeling of I am.
I may forget who I am, where I am, what I am, but I cannot forget that I
am.”
I believe strongly in the power of
positive thinking, but I point out that Neville wrote, “The very center of
consciousness is the feeling I am.”
When someone asks, “How are you
today?” we reply by saying, “I’m great” or “I feel great.” We never say, “I’m thinking great
today!”
We act upon our feelings. If I feel powerful, I act powerful. If I feel sad, I act sad.
Our feelings grow out of our attitudes. Our attitudes grow out of our thoughts. And, our thoughts grow out of our beliefs about
who we are.
Neville wrote: “Everything depends upon its attitude towards
itself; that which it will not affirm as true
of itself cannot awaken in its world.”
The truth is I am.
The identities I subscribe to only
represent a minute portion of the potential I hold.
Your potential is limited only by your
imagination and faith – your concept of yourself and the degree to which you believe
it is true.
By recognizing this truth, your awareness
allows you to choose new identities. Who I am
is far greater than who I consider myself to be.
For example, I can take a bucket full of
the ocean and declare, “This is the ocean!”
True, it is the ocean. But, it
only represents a miniscule portion of the ocean as a whole.
A bucket full of the ocean may put out a
small fire, but the ocean as a whole moves continents.
Many of us do not recognize we are
oceans. We put ourselves in buckets, enabling
ourselves to put out small fires when, by acknowledging and feeling the true power, the
full power of who we are we could move continents.
When the weak man declares, “I am
strong” and he feels it, his world shifts. He
no longer experiences his life as a person who has self-labeled himself as weak. Others may say he is weak, but it is his choice to
agree, to assume that identity.
Each of us is the potential of being
whatever we can imagine.
Who you are today – and you may love
who that is – is a result of who you believe yourself to be.
Take time today to dream. Dream about who you would be if you saw no
limitations or barriers to who you are. Dream
about who you would be if you recognized yourself as an ocean.
Your thoughts and feelings are truly
powerful enough to move continents, to create whatever you desire.
The true potential of who you are begins
– and ends – with three simple letters, that produce two powerful words and one
simple truth. I am.
John Barker is a writer and personal
coach who works with clients interested in exploring their potential. To learn more
about John, click
here. |
