Each day, each hour, each moment, we are each faced with choices: to act or not to act, to be or not to be. We view ourselves through a lens that was shaped both from what others have told us we are and what we have told ourselves we are. This lens affects every part of who we are, because how we think of ourselves influences how we act, which influences the results (or the reality) that we see around us. It’s a chain reaction — our thoughts impact our actions, which impact our results and reality. Each is linked together, each influences the other. So if we want our reality to change, it only makes sense to start at the source: we have to change our thoughts. And one of the most important thoughts we have to change is that which we think about ourselves: we have to decide who it is that we want to be.

So many people drift from day to day and simply go with the flow, not consciously paying attention to their lives and not striving towards anything; they aren’t living, they’re simply existing. And that’s both tragic and dangerous… we have the power to decide who it is we want to become, and instead, most of us let everything around us decide that for us. If we let our environment determine the kind of person we become, or our bosses, or our peers, or our regrets, then we are letting go of the only thing in this life that we really have any control over: ourselves. I can’t control what happens in the world, but I can control my response. I can’t control what other people think of me, but I can control what I think of them. I can’t control whether or not it rains, but I can control whether or not I choose to dance in the rain. This is why we must decide who it is that we will become, and we must refuse to let our surroundings and circumstances be the ones that shape us.

I, for one, want to be a woman of great integrity, someone who leaves a legacy of love. I want to be someone others can trust. I want to be someone who faithfully serves her King above all else. I want to be someone who responds to hate with love, and to wrongdoing with grace. I want to learn to dance upon disappointment knowing that even the darkest nights eventually see the day. I want to be someone who takes care of herself and is both physically and mentally strong. I want to be someone who is financially independent, someone who pours onto others and reflects the grace and embrace of the Father everywhere I go. I want to be someone who is genuine and down to earth, yet not submissive to the ways of the earth. I want to be someone with a legacy of deep life and love, all for the glory of the King. This is who I want to be.

Once that decision is made, once we decide who we want to become, we then have to decide to begin to act as if we are already that person. I once heard that you should treat a man not as he is, but as he could and should be, and as a result he will eventually become that person that he should be. We all have the potential for greatness. It’s just that very few of us choose — very few of us to decide — to pursue that greatness. I dare you to begin thinking of yourself as you can and should be, and to treat yourself that way. For example, if I decide to be physically in shape, I am going to begin living life as a physically in shape person would: exercising regularly, drinking plenty of water, eating right. As I begin treating myself as if I were physically in shape, chances are that one day I truly will be physically in shape. If I choose to be mentally and spiritually strong, I must begin treating myself as if I already am mentally and spiritually strong. I must continually stretch my mind by the books I read, I must treat others with the same grace and love that I see spiritual mentors treating others with. I must act as if I already am mentally and spiritually strong, and odds are that one day, I truly will be.

I dare you to decide who you want to become. I dare you to think of and treat yourself as if you are already that person. I dare you to implement the small choices that will result in you becoming that person. And I bet you anything that if you do, you’ll become more and more of that person you want to be each day. Because your thoughts determine your actions which determine your results.

Decide who you want to be.