I am…

I am.
I am _______.
Whatever that thing is for you, fill in the blank. It can be what you really are, or what you aspire to be. It doesn’t have to be fully realized for you to declare it. Your mind doesn’t know the difference, so speak who you want to be, even before becoming it.
I was thinking this morning on my walk about how often we get stuck on who we were. A mistake or misstep, or just a wrong decision. We spend so much time trying to overcome that thing, that we forget to focus on who we’re becoming.
I get it.
I was a teen mom.
And I didn’t have one of those “aww, bring my grand baby to me” mommas… Nah. My mom was like, “your baby, your responsibility. You want to play sports, you’ll need to pay for a babysitter. You need to work, so you can pay for that babysitter. Oh! And still expect stellar grades. Yes, you will still take honors classes.” I thought it was the worst thing ever. I saw people with babies who never had them. Their mom kept their kids, they did whatever they wanted.
What I couldn’t appreciate then that I now embrace more than ever was the desire to be different. I wanted more. And I knew, if I could juggle honors classes, working, track, basketball and music, while caring for a toddler, I could have more. I could’ve done what was expected, wallow in what should’ve been or become lackluster about my dreams. I could’ve used “I’m a teen mom” as a crutch to explain my lack of motivation. I could still say that I had to wait on what I wanted because I had a baby before I was married. But I don’t.
I won’t.
I didn’t.
Honestly, I made tons of mistakes.. tons! But one thing I didn’t do was allow who I was to dictate who I became.
I’m not a decision from my past, even though that decision has greatly shaped me.
It changed my outlook.
The perspective I have about life shifted drastically when I included a baby that was depending on me for survival.
Who you were doesn’t determine who you’ll be.
You decide that.
I am________.
Decide to be who you’re called to be!