Dalai Lama: You Are Just Who You Are

“There is only one important point you must keep in your mind and let it be your guide. No matter what people call you, you are just who you are. Keep to this truth. You must ask yourself how is it you want to live your life. We live and we die, this is the truth that we can only face alone. No one can help us, not even the Buddha. So consider carefully, what prevents you from living the way you want to live your life?
-Dalai Lama XIV

I think keeping to the truth of who you are is difficult. I can't decide if I think it's easy or hard to even know who you are...there are days I think it's incredibly simple and people just complicate things needlessly. And then there are days I am so confused about everything, and I can't even begin to explain.

I guess we can always keep asking, though. I think it's important to. Don't drive yourself crazy about it, but ask: how do you want to live your life? And what prevents you from living the way you want to live your life?

There are so many factors to consider, of course. It's completely overwhelming to think of instituting huge changes and sticking to it. Maybe the way to go (for me, at least) is to integrate a little bit of change every day. Not everything at once, but baby steps.

Maybe the most important thing is not succeeding (because we're all works-in-progress, right? There will always be room for improvement), but just to keep trying. To wake up every day and keep asking these really difficult questions and reflecting and trying.

To keeping to this truth that you are just who you are, to asking how you want to live your life, to living the way you want to live your life.