Self Made

So often we say we are self made. That no one helped us get to where we are.  We did it all on our own. Or, we think we should be self made. That we should do everything on our own. I would like to challenge that. I believe none of us are self made. 

We are all made from the people who have gone before us. The people we have done life with. Those who have loved us well and the those who didn’t. The people who raised us and the people who didn’t. The people we respect. The people we admire. The people we disrespect. The people we don’t like. The perfect strangers our paths have crossed. They have all helped shape us. 

They have taught us who we want to be. They have taught us who we don’t want to be. They have also shown us the possibilities of who we could be, both good or bad. 

Those who have loved us well taught us how to love. Those who have not loved us well, have taught us the same. They have all had a part in making us who we are. 

It is impossible to become who we are or who we want to be all on our own. We are made by standing on the backs of others. Living or dead. They have shaped us. None of us are self-made. 

When we think of the people in our lives that were not there for us we think they had nothing to do with our success, but often times, they had more impact than we realized. Many times we had thoughts like “I don’t want to be like them.” Or we think something like “I’ll show them I can make it.” So really they very much so made you who you are because they showed you who you are not or they became the motivation to do that thing. 

Imagine if you could thank them for that, if you had genuine gratitude towards them for helping you to call out the best of yourself. The only thing you have to lose, is gratitude. 

Yep, None of us are self-made. We accomplish all we accomplish because of the people who were there beside us and because of the people who weren’t. We built our knowledge based on where those who went before us left off. 

It’s impossible to be self made.

Love you madly.

Leslie

P.S. Who were the people who made you? I loved to hear about it. Email me at leslie.canup@gmail.com