“We already have everything we need. There is no need for self-improvement…all the time our warmth and brilliance are here. This is who we really are…The delightful things — that we truly love about ourselves, the places in which we feel some sense of pride or inspiration — these also are our wealth.”

– Pema Chödrön in Start Where You Are

The People we want to Become

We already have everything we need, but we always have room to grow. With each present moment, we are constantly becoming our best selves. And in each of those moments, we have the power to point ourselves in the directions we desire through the decisions we make.

But how do we find where we are headed?

I believe we find the people we want to become within our gratitude for the people we love. Our most genuine aspirations are reflected in our admiration for those people. They’re a mirror into what we truly value.

If we spend some time reflecting on the people we love, and all the remarkable and wonderful things about them, we can begin to see all the ways we can still grow. We only see those characteristics we love and admire so vividly because they’re all the things that we’re not.

We should find ourselves humbled and grateful to have these people in our lives because, the best thing is, we then already have these amazing teachers to guide us and help us grow.

Is there a better start to the year than to tell those people all the ways in which you find them wonderful, and how you would love to learn from them?