What matters is who you choose to be.

Restrictions. Restrictions everywhere. The thought arised to compose this article the moment I saw this quote. “To remember who you are, you need to forget who they told you to be.” Scary for some but needed for most.

From fictional characters like Superman or Goku to political patrons like Gandhi or Nelson Mandela, everyone aspired to be something greater than what society has embedded. They wanted to inspire people by proving the rest wrong only to create a new ideology. To make it simple, they were different. That’s what is meant by this piece. Only with change can one inspire.

The Law of Choosing works beautifully here (www.ascendancepro.com). It sounds so simple right? When your parents work off so badly only to see you become a doctor, you say “I wanna become a footballer”. Or when your religion speaks of you to be good all the time, you want to scold your boss who truly is cruel to you. All your life you’ve wanted to change. Deep inside your soul, you’re waiting to cut loose. These scenarios will provoke you while your subconscious wants to protect you from trying anything new.

There are two parts of this motion that we should be aware of and here’s the first one. BE YOURSELF. By that I mean listen to your Heart and find out who do you want to become. Let me make myself clear here. Society tells you WHAT you’re supposed to be not WHO you should be. And that answer lies within. To inspire one must aspire to make a change. In a group of crows, one should aspire to be an eagle. By consciously choosing who you dream to become, you will create the cycle that attracts the mediums required that will result in the fruit you need. However, the first step is the hardest.

For youngsters, I guess this starts after 18 when you want to decide the path you’re about to take. It is also hard when you want to leave your current job or economic position later on. Pressure from parents, society, people, race, religion and so on will meddle with our emotions and pull us back on our choices. I guess that’s the way things are now. People knowingly protest the ones who are different just so they can stay in their comfort zone. To make things worse, this doesn’t necessarily have to be an external struggle but an internal one. We must be aware that no matter who bombs our path, or whoever stands in our way, the path is OURS and we are the ones who chose our path. To be different and to inspire one must never go back on his word and push forward in spite of the obstacles because he aspires to do so. Again, only when you listen to your Heart you can find out WHO you want to be.

Here is the second segment. Society will protest until they can no longer do so or they wouldn’t bother. The more personal ones are to be feared. When the ones closest to your heart protest, diplomacy helps. There need not be conflict to resolve an argument but a subtle and humble approach is needed. We must be truthful yet subtle and diplomatic and that is the way out for youngsters.

It truly is scary knowing that change can lead to inspiration. Mother Theresa continued helping the poor even when she was spat on once. She wiped it off and replied, “If you’re done, I need to get back to service”. Despite being cruel Adolf Hitler is still remembered. Mahatma went to the extent that he didn’t want to wear weaves done by the British, so he weaved his own clothes.

In our lives, I guess most of us aren’t pushed to that extent yet we still play by the rules that society sets for us. We do not have to rebel to be different. We just need to be honest, break some rules (not laws but rules) and never go back on our word. Remember, “To remember who you are, you need to forget who they told you to be.”

- Sanadtkumar Ganesan