This is a celebration/attribution post of 2000 personal journal entries across 14 years. Yes, I've been counting. Disclaimer: Edited for publicity.

23 Oct. 2017: A Monday night. 2 am.

So! I've finally hit 2000 personal journal entries. I guess this would be an appropriate day and time to write about my identity. What a loaded word. It's the word we use to define who we are, who I am as a unique individual. I've been searching for my identity for a while now and I've finally come to realize who I am. In past journal entries, I've had an idea of who I am. I've had glimpses of who I am. But, I have not very much realized exactly who I am and what my ultimate purpose is in this round globe shaped planet we call Earth, until recently.

I am a son, the eldest son of a family of six; the greatest family of six I know. I am a brother; the eldest brother of three younger siblings. I am a grandson, nephew, cousin, neighbor, and a friend. I am strong. I am somebody that values everybody for who he or she really is. I am someone who strives to become the best version of me but knows when I fall short of that.

What if I told you that a persons' strength does not originate from what he or she has previously been through but rather a persons' strength originates from his or her own inadequacy of failure and knowledge of success within each trial of each and every day? This is about reaction opposed to action. Sound weird? It is. But, for me, it's exactly what showed me who I am.

I needed to really sit down and think about the kind of person I was becoming, and if that was something I was okay with. I had to really think about how I was handling difficult situations. I noticed some flaws, actually okay I noticed a lot of flaws. But, I was okay with that. I'm not saying I was okay with the decisions I was making.

But I certainly was okay with the fact that I have flaws, for the first time. I recognized that I am somebody that will never be "perfect" because perfect doesn't exist in society and I can't expect myself to be something or someone that I literally cannot live up to impossible expectations.

Although I set the bar high for myself and I want to go far and achieve as many of my goals as possible, I know I'm okay with just doing my absolute best and being who I am with the values I have. To me, that's really enough to make me happy and smile.

So be happy. Be smiley. Be you. That's all it takes.