Lao–Tzu was a Chinese philosopher credited with founding the philosophical system of Taoism around the 6th century BCE. He said, “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
I have been thinking about that statement a lot lately. It is so easy for us to get stuck. We lock in on a label that we think defines us. It could be a good label or a bad one. Either way when we identify ourselves with the label it ends up holding us captive for the rest of our lives. The problem with a label is it is based on the past. I was (fill in the blank). But, we were created to grow and evolve. I am not supposed to be tomorrow what I was yesterday. And I will never experience becoming what I can become if I am only holding on to my past.
For me to become all I can be I must let go of yesterday so I can walk into my now. That’s what Lao-Tzu meant. Yesterday is gone. Let go of all of it, the good, bad and the ugly. You are growing. You are wiser. You are not dominated by fear. You can walk confidently into your future knowing you are becoming the man or woman you always knew you could be. Big living is simply becoming your best you. Don’t settle for yesterday’s you. You, fully alive today, is who you truly want to be.
