We carry the same name through life but is it right to think of ourselves as the same person? The same person as last week, yesterday, this morning?

We never are. We are only becoming.

Ever Curious
3 min readMar 7, 2021

I wrote this piece about a year ago now, during the questions and reflections of the first lockdown. What have I learnt since then?

  • That each action you take is a vote for the type of person you’d like to become. The little things count and that’s exciting.
  • It’s nice to have ambitions and fun ideas but they will never come to life if you don’t do anything. So simple yet so difficult. I have always wanted to create videos and share my ideas but never got round to it. In 2021, I am finally doing it.
  • Join societies and groups. Be part of a community. I’m so fortunate to be part of a fundraising group of about 30 other students.
  • Set yourself small goals. Cycle somewhere. Run down the street. Write a paragraph… Small goals give you the confidence to achieve greater things.
  • Plan ahead. Spend a few minutes after reading this article budgeting, organising your goals. Take stock of where you are now and where you want to get to. It’s these important but not urgent things that I always put off. These will pay off.
  • Most importantly, enjoy yourself! I’m at university, admittedly during lockdown, but I’m living with some of my greatest friends! Have fun and enjoy the process.

Without further ado, here is the article I wrote on March 24, 2020.

Freedom baby! Photo by Daoud Abismail on Unsplash

What makes us, us? Our personalities? Who am I? Who are you?

What are you doing?

Searching, same as you

After all,

Our personalities are the internalized and evolving narrative

Of the self

The self that reconstructs the past

And envisions the future

In such a way as to provide life

With some meaning and purpose

And we

You and me

Are the autobiographers, the authors

Of the story of our life.

Remember we are not our traits or our successes or our failures

Traits are given, but stories are made

And you are the author.

So, don’t ask who am I?

The question of the critic, the historian

Don’t create a fixed, permanent outline of yourself

Ask instead who do I want to be?

A question that starts an undertaking

A movement.

You see

The construct that we have created

Our personalities

Is so strong

That you have to do something extreme

To be able to transcend that

To be able to break through those things

Because we are so engrained

With our personalities

And we believe that’s who we are

It’s just when you do something to an extreme nature

Like an Ironman

When you push yourself to the limit

That you get to transcend that

To see what sits below the surface

See that you actually have a choice

That there’s something more

More than who you pretend to be

So whilst we are really attached

To who we are as individuals

There’s also much more to life

If we have that freedom of choice

So, who do you want to be?

Photo by aranprime on Unsplash

Inspired by Aaron Ferguson

Publishing three posts a week on book reviews, my university experience, self-improvement and more. So make sure to give me a clap, a follow, or a comment if you liked this post!

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Ever Curious
Ever Curious

Written by Ever Curious

I try to use science, psychology and philosophy to create realistic and practical methods of living better lives. We don’t need to start from zero.

Responses (1)

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Well said.
By taking small steps you will eventually achieve something big.