Who We Are v. Who We Wish To Be

              I think all of us, in some way, have a version of ourselves that we dream of becoming. Someone who is braver, richer, more free, more beautiful, and so on. Most of the time though, this imagined ideal self stays tucked away, deep in our minds, never to be fully realized. We want to feel more alive, but we are afraid of taking the next step.

              In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Walter is a quiet, unassuming man stuck in a routine. He loves to daydream, zoning out around everyone in his life, spending a lot of time imagining adventures but not living them. Then, a missing photo negative pushes him outside of his comfort zone and what ensues is a real-life adventure that happens across the world, including in Iceland (my home).

Like Walter, I think a lot of us carry within us a person that we wish we were — someone just a bit more than who we are in real life. For me, it often feels like I am afraid of who I could be — that my dreams are too big and unrealistic. Or, lately, I feel like I’m too old to change or start over or chase my dream. The chasm seems insurmountable. The truth is, we are closer than we think. Like Walter, the distance between who we are and who we wish to be is bridgeable.

              I think a lot of us get caught up in the scale of action. We compare ourselves to celebrities and people we see online but the truth is, everyone’s scale is different because everyone’s dreams are different. Sometimes it’s as small as saying yes to something when you normally would have said no. It’s taking control of your life, living with intention, instead of staying stuck on autopilot.

              To start bridging the gap, start small. Stop waiting for the “right” moment because it doesn’t exist (speaking from experience). Start the awkward waddling toward who you want to be. Pay attention to what makes your soul sing, what makes your heart light up. What excites you? What scares you (in a good way)? What holds meaning to you, even if no one else understands? Answer these questions and you begin to build the foundation on which you can build the bridge between who you are and who you want to be.

Transformation doesn’t happen overnight, nor should it. But it’s about active choices and moving forward. Walter didn’t become someone else. All he did was let go of the fear. He chose to step into who he already was. He shed the mask and became more himself.

              So, who is the real you, the one you wish you could be right now? And what is one small, real-world step that you can take today to bridge the gap?