For most of my adult life I fought against myself.
I wasn’t aware of it. But it forced me to try to fit into molds that I was never going to fit into and my career, life, and level of happiness all suffered from it.
Because of my background as both an athlete and an artist, I wasn’t sure which path I wanted to take in my career. I wasn’t sure which of the two passions to pursue as my mission. I had seen many people do one or the other, but I hadn’t seen many people, if any, that someone navigated them both.
They were both authentically me, but I tried to force them into separate segments of my identity, toggling back and forth between the two.
I learned as much as I could from experts and tried to emulate them.
I started projects that I thought would bring me success because I’d seen others go that route.
But ultimately, none of those projects succeeded in getting me where I wanted to go.
I had dreams and ambitions to do great things, but everything I tried seemed to lead to a wall — some sort of boulder dropped down onto the path I was trying to take.
After a lot of self work, and some significant guidance from mentors and coaches that had already learned this lesson, I realized that the unique intersections that made up my personality were wings, not weights. And if I leaned into them, I could find my own way and my own path.
And that’s the irony of it all.
It’s so easy to just be yourself that it’s incredibly challenging.
Because in our minds, we think that we need to do something that is bigger than who we are or that makes us transform into someone else — someone better.
But there’s no one better than who we are. And there’s no path better than the other.
If you’re struggling to find your way I like I have, don’t let it discourage you. It’s not that you’re necessarily doing something wrong or never going to make it up that mountain.
There are so many different paths up there.
Some are fast, some are slower. Yours just may be more winding than others.
And the most unique views and experiences come when you blaze your own trail.
But I promise you this: when you reach the top, you won’t be stressing the slip ups you made along the way. You won’t be looking at other people and comparing your path to theirs.
You’ll be standing at the top, looking down at all the lessons learned, amazing experiences, and memories made along the way to where you wanted to go.
And you will have made it.
Rain Bennett is a two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker, writer, and competitive storyteller with over a decade of experience producing documentary films that focus on health and wellness. His mission is simple: to make the world happier and healthier by sharing stories of change.
You can read the rest of “Right as Rain” here, and check back every Wednesday on Chapelboro for a new column!
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