Lost and Found

So, I've been thinking a lot about the idea of "finding" oneself. I think people in our society tend to over-complicate the process. Too many of us roam around thinking that if we wander long enough, eventually we'll run into our "true" selves in a cafe in Paris. But the thing is, my true self isn't in Paris. I'm right here, in a living room in Provo, Utah. And I'm not going to find myself by jumping out of an airplane or dying my hair blue, either. Knowing who we really are is as simple as knowing what we value--really value, not just what we say is important. What are your standards--not your parents', but yours? What matters to you and what really doesn't? It's about understanding what we believe and even who we want to be--that alone says a lot about who we already are. It's about recognizing our passions. It's about knowing what we've been through and seeing how we got through it and how we let it go through us. It's about being honest with ourselves about our actions and our choices. How do you treat people? That's a huge piece of who you really are. What do you want most in life? Not what do you think you should want most or who do you think you should want to be, but the truth of you. And you know what, I may wake up in the morning and be appalled at how badly worded or stupid this 2am rant is, but sometimes when ideas are floating around in my head, I just have to put them on paper. Good, bad, well-written, babbling, wisdom or idiocy--it's all part of who I really am.