"Instead of asking yourself who you are—ask yourself who you want to be. The makeup of your character is not a puzzle with a set number of pieces. Every endeavour, adventure, challenge, and connection you experience over the course of your life weaves another thread into the tapestry of who you are. The work of self is never finished. You are a masterpiece in progress.
Live boldly in the light of this, a life where every decision and action you take is made with the conscious intention of bettering yourself, your circumstances, or expanding your perspective in some way.
Challenge yourself often, take greater risks, step out of your comfort zone, and avoid slipping into long, stagnant slumps. Remember that no matter the milestones you reach in life, you are never a completed project. The growing mustn’t stop simply because you have reached adulthood, established your career, fulfilled your dreams, or found your life partner. The soul is a rose that should bloom time and again over the span of a life, becoming more beautiful and intricate with every progression.
Live like this—with a full, hungry heart, and a curiousness that cannot be extinguished. Practice self-reflection and tend to the hollow spaces in you where you find them. If you lack confidence, focus on your health and wellbeing, or develop new skills. If you feel flat and uninteresting, further your studies, or better yet, travel to far and foreign places. Expand your horizons and watch how the people flock to you. If you have emotional issues and trauma, reach out for help, search your own spirit, and heal at the root of the cause. Your flaws and shortcomings do not define you, they are just paths you haven’t explored yet. Anything can be mended or developed through focus and concentrated effort.
Remember, it is the pursuit of happiness, not the seizing of it. A whole and happy life means routinely finding new things to chase and become. It is to look at this world with clear, open eyes and see just how much there is here to live for."
